Elmer
Feminine · “noble and famous”
Elmer is given to boys far more often — 129,591 boys against 1,753 girls since 1880. See Elmer as a boy name
This is an Old English name that came back through a surname. It existed before the Conquest, disappeared as a given name for the better part of seven hundred years, survived only as a family name, and was picked up again in America in the nineteenth century — which is a very long round trip.
How old is the name Elmer?
Elmer first appears in US birth records in 1885 — 140 years ago. The typical Elmer alive today was born around 1925, making them about 100 years old. About 300 people named Elmer are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Elmer most popular?
Elmer peaked in 1885, reaching #745 nationally. See the whole 1885 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Æthelmær to Elmer
The story of Elmer
The revival is usually credited to two brothers in the American Revolution. Both were New Jersey men, both served — one as a physician and later a senator, one as a soldier and then a congressman — and the surname was taken up as a first name by families who admired them, in the way that Washington and Jefferson were. That is the standard account and it is at least plausible: the name appears in American records in quantity from exactly that period and had not been in use as a given name anywhere for centuries beforehand.
Meaning
noble and famous
Two Old English elements, one meaning noble and one meaning famous or renowned. The compound is well attested in pre-Conquest records and its sense is not disputed.
How the name formed
- Æthelmær
- Elmer
Pronouncing Elmer
EL-mur
Two syllables with the stress at the front and the second reduced. The spelling gives no trouble at all.
Nicknames for Elmer
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1885
- Most girls named
- 192867 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #745reached in 1885
- Change vs 1967
- −16.7%5 in 1980, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Elmers among us
people named Elmer are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Elmer sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is genuinely Old English rather than an invented antique.
- The meaning is dignified and easy to explain.
- The spelling and the sound agree completely.
- Its peak was very early and the name carries that age plainly.
- A cartoon character and a brand of glue both carry it prominently.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
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What they receive
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Elmer
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Elmers are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Elmer are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Elmer in 2025?
- Elmer is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Elmer with classmates?
- Elmer will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More E names
The most-given names starting with E, all years combined.
Elizabeth#17 · Emily#34 · Emma#3 · Evelyn#8 · Ella#29 · Eleanor#12 · Erin#833 · Edna#2458
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Elmer? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Elmer and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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