Fun Facts About the Name Felty
- 11 babies named Felty: U.S. records list 11 babies given the name Felty from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Felty Mean?
Felty is an Americanized spelling of German and Swiss German family names - chiefly Völty, Felte, and Velti - which served as short forms of the personal name Valentin. Valentin descends from the Latin Valentinus, itself from valens, "strong, healthy." So the literal sense carried by these German short forms is "healthy, strong," and Felty keeps that sense rather than adding a new one.
The move from an initial V to F is regular in several German dialects, especially Palatinate and Swiss German, which is why Völty or Felte could be written down in America as Felty. The name is a surname used as a given name, not an independent coinage, and it is unrelated to the English adjective felty ("resembling felt"), which is simply felt plus the suffix -y.
Felty Name History & Origins
The German forms behind Felty were brought to North America by German-speaking immigrants and then respelled by English-speaking record keepers who wrote names as they heard them. Because Palatinate and Swiss German pronunciation turned initial V into F and reduced unstressed final vowels, surnames like Völty and Felte appear in American records in spellings such as Felty, Feltey, and Feltie. This respelling happened gradually in colonial and nineteenth-century records rather than at a single documented moment, and different Felty families may descend from different German surnames that happened to be anglicized the same way.
As a first name, Felty is used mainly in the United States, where it follows the common pattern of passing a family surname down as a given name. It remains uncommon as a given name and is far more often found as a surname. It should not be confused with the separate surnames Felts and Feltz, which are sometimes treated as related but are not assumed here to share Felty's origin.
How Popular is the Name Felty?
Felty has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2000. Its best rank was #7,075 in 1986.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,480 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #7,075 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with F
Short Boy Names That Start with F
How the Name Felty Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are kind, home-loving, hospitable and friendly. Since you take responsibility well, you are a good organizer of social affairs. Compassion for others is an outstanding trait. You are a great lover and a great flirt – an artist, musician, actor, teacher, nurse. Your character can be contradictory. You are practical, yet idealistic and intuitive; capable of selfless devotion to someone you love, yet look to receive payback. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Felty's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Felty's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.