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Pamela

“Coined by poet Philip Sidney for his 1590s poem Arcadia” — English (literary coinage) origin

Girl's name · #2239 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Pamela has appeared in US records since 1895 — best rank #10 (1953) · 595,076 babies named Pamela all-time · 1 in 20,000 girls born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 6,700 girls in Sweden (2025) · about 1 in 17,000 girls in Switzerland (2024) · about 1 in 18,000 girls in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 7 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Pamelas

• Pamela Anderson — Canadian actress and model (born 1967)
• Pamela Melroy — American astronaut
• Pamela Adlon — American actress
• Pamela Jelimo — Kenyan middle distance runner
• Pamela Colman Smith — British occultist, artist and illustrator (1878–1951)

In stories & tradition

• Pamela (Poison Ivy) — Batman · Batman: Arkham City
• Pamela Voorhees — Friday the 13th
• Pamela (Pam Beesly) — The Office

What Pamelas become

Among 1,185 notable people named Pamela:

Entertainers appear 1.49× more often than among typical names — e.g. Pamela Anderson, Canadian actress and model (born 1967).

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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