Adelfa
A girl's name of Spanish origin with 345 recorded U.S. births.
Meaning & Origin
a female given name
Adelfa is a girl's baby name of Spanish origin, from the Spanish word adelfa meaning 'oleander' — the beautiful but toxic Mediterranean flowering shrub whose pink and white blooms have decorated gardens from ancient Greece to modern Andalusia.
Adelfa has the fragrant, floral quality of Spanish botanical names — grounded in the Mediterranean landscape where oleander grows wild along riverbanks and in sun-scorched gardens. It carries an air of dangerous beauty, like the oleander itself: gorgeous, Mediterranean, and impossible to look away from.
EtymologyShow more
Adelfa is cataloged under the Spanish naming tradition. Spanish names often flow through Latin and Visigothic roots, shaped by centuries of Catholic tradition and Iberian culture.
In the U.S., Adelfa has been recorded as a girl's name since 1916, with 345 total births. Browse the Spanish names hub on this site to explore the broader family.
At a Glance
Popularity Over Time
Adelfa has 42+ years of history in the U.S., first appearing in 1916.
Popularity by Decade
| Decade | Births | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10 | ▼ |
| 1960s | 19 | ▼ |
| 1950s | 43 | ▼ |
| 1940s | 89 | ▲ |
| 1930s | 70 | ▼ |
| 1920s | 97 | ▲ |
| 1910s | 17 | — |
The Story of Adelfa
A Baby Boomer name
Peaking in 1946, Adelfa is a timeless Baby Boomer name. Girls named Adelfa are most likely born between 1936 and 1956.
How rare is Adelfa?
With fewer than 500 recorded births, Adelfa is an exceptionally rare name — a one-of-a-kind choice.
The journey through the decades
First appeared in the records in 1916, peaked in the 1920s with 97 births that decade, and has since become a rare, vintage choice.
Adelfa by the numbers
- Would fill 7 school buses
Year-by-Year Data
View complete yearly data(42 years, 1916–1974)
| Year | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 5 | #8783 |
| 1971 | 5 | #8332 |
| 1966 | 5 | #6567 |
| 1964 | 9 | #4635 |
| 1960 | 5 | #6390 |
| 1959 | 6 | #5569 |
| 1958 | 7 | #4889 |
| 1957 | 6 | #5379 |
| 1953 | 6 | #5042 |
| 1952 | 5 | #5565 |
| 1951 | 6 | #4834 |
| 1950 | 7 | #4318 |
| 1949 | 7 | #4237 |
| 1948 | 9 | #3594 |
| 1947 | 11 | #3242 |
| 1946 | 16 | #2392 |
| 1945 | 15 | #2237 |
| 1944 | 7 | #3688 |
| 1943 | 7 | #3802 |
| 1942 | 11 | #2819 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration. Showing years with 5+ recorded births.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration, 1916–1974