Ursula

Ursula: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “little she-bear”
Origin: Latin
Say it: UR-suh-luh · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

From Latin Ursula, a diminutive of ursa 'bear'. It is associated with Saint Ursula; the exact spelling is used in several European languages.

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How popular is Ursula?

20247.5 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Ursula in 202425

Peak year1901

Total US babies since 188014,782

Ursula is steady now but far below its 1901 peak.

Names like Ursula

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Camilayoung ceremonial attendant · Latin
Lunamoon · Latin
Auroradawn · Latin
Emilyrival · Latin
Norahonor · Latin
Lucylight · Latin
Gracegrace; favor · Latin
Novanew · Latin

Ursula questions

What does the name Ursula mean?

Ursula means "little she-bear". It comes from Latin. From Latin Ursula, a diminutive of ursa 'bear'. It is associated with Saint Ursula; the exact spelling is used in several European languages.

Is Ursula a boy or girl name?

Ursula is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Ursula?

25 US babies were named Ursula in 2024. Its peak year was 1901.

How do you pronounce Ursula?

Ursula is usually pronounced UR-suh-luh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.