Pamela
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a female given name originating as a coinage. Invented by Sir Philip Sidney for his pastoral poem The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia (c 1593). Seemingly created from scratch; some imagine an analysis as Ancient Greek πᾶς (pâs, “all”) + μέλι (méli, “honey”) but there is no evidence that this was intended.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Pamela (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Pamela has been falling over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 1998. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 13 |
| 1999 | – |
| 2000 | – |
| 2001 | 10 |
| 2002 | – |
| 2003 | – |
| 2004 | 4 |
| 2005 | 5 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 3 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 2014 | 4 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | – |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | – |
| 2022 | 4 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Women and girls |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 851 |
| 2000 | 860 |
| 2001 | 887 |
| 2002 | 897 |
| 2003 | 912 |
| 2004 | 912 |
| 2005 | 929 |
| 2006 | 956 |
| 2007 | 962 |
| 2008 | 979 |
| 2009 | 998 |
| 2010 | 1,001 |
| 2011 | 1,003 |
| 2012 | 1,029 |
| 2013 | 1,027 |
| 2014 | 1,042 |
| 2015 | 1,054 |
| 2016 | 1,060 |
| 2017 | 1,072 |
| 2018 | 1,074 |
| 2019 | 1,078 |
| 2020 | 1,089 |
Pamela in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Pamela.Hi! My name is Pamela.
- Pamela ringde och sa att hon blir lite sen.Pamela called and said she'll be a bit late.
- Pamela har bott i Uppsala i tre år.Pamela has lived in Uppsala for three years.
- Pamelas mamma är lärare.Pamela's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Pamelas mamma is Pamela's mum.
More names
Questions about Pamela
How do you pronounce Pamela in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Pamela in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Pamela mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a female given name originating as a coinage. Invented by Sir Philip Sidney for his pastoral poem The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia (c 1593). Seemingly created from scratch; some imagine an analysis as Ancient Greek πᾶς (pâs, “all”) + μέλι (méli, “honey”) but there is no evidence that this was intended.
How popular is Pamela in Sweden?
4 babies were named Pamela in 2022. In 2020, 1,089 people in Sweden had Pamela as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been falling lately and peaked in 1998 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.