Pam
Pam was not among the names given to 5 or more girls in 2025. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 125th with 3,677 babies. More babies were named Pam in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Pamela · English
Say it PAM /pæm/
- Rank in 2025
- Not rankedgirls
- Babies in 2025
- 0girls
- Girls and boys
- No babies recorded in the last five years2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19593,677 babies
- Total since 1880
- 33,148babies recorded
What does the name Pam mean?
Pam is the short form of Pamela. Pamela was invented by Sir Philip Sidney for a character in his romance Arcadia (around 1590) and later made popular by Samuel Richardson's novel Pamela (1740). Wiktionary notes that the name seems to have been made up from scratch; reading it as Greek for "all honey" is a later guess with no evidence. Pam was most common in the US in the 1950s.
Pamela (English, “coined by Philip Sidney”)
How sure is this? Well established. Pamela is a literary invention; the "all honey" analysis is a guess.
Other explanations you may read: Pamela means 'all honey' (Greek pan + meli).
Related names: Pamela, Pammy, Pamala.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Pam', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Pamela', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Pam (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Pam popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 23 since 1957.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — |
| 2020 | — | — |
| 2010 | — | — |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | #8,335 | 10 |
| 1980 | #3,472 | 24 |
| 1970 | #561 | 327 |
| 1960 | #132 | 3,406 |
| 1950 | #546 | 229 |
| 1940 | #968 | 55 |
| 1930 | #3,964 | 7 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Pam, counting every spelling?
Pam has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How old are people named Pam?
About 27,200 people born in the US named Pam are alive today, with a median age of 66; half are between 63 and 68. That makes Pam a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Pam by state
How common Pam was among girls born in each state in 1957–1961, around its peak. It is notably more common than nationally in South Dakota (2.3×), Nevada (2.2×), Oklahoma (2.0×), North Dakota (1.9×), Oregon (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Hawaii, New Hampshire, Delaware.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Pam: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Pam, they share its era and feel.
Pam is also a nickname for Pamela.
Questions about the name Pam
What does Pam mean?
Pam means “short form of Pamela” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Pam?
Pam was not among the names given to 5 or more girls in 2025. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 125th with 3,677 babies. More babies were named Pam in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Pam a boy or girl name?
No babies were given the name in 2021–2025. Historically it was given to 33,125 girls and 23 boys.
Where was Pam most popular?
In 1957–1961, Pam was most common in South Dakota (3.38 per 1,000 girls), followed by Nevada and Oklahoma.