Elmer
Masculine · “noble and famous”
Elmer is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 129,591 boys against 1,753 girls since 1880. See Elmer as a girl 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 was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Elmer alive today was born around 1924, making them about 101 years old. About 27,000 people named Elmer are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Elmer most popular?
Elmer peaked in 1893, reaching #32 nationally. Today it ranks #1222, 1,190 places below that high. See the whole 1893 chart.
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 19184,373 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #32reached in 1893
- Change vs 2022
- −1.8%165 in 2025, from 168
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.
Elmer in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: Pennsylvania, Texas, California.
Elmers among us
people named Elmer are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 10,352 born in 2025 was named Elmer
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Elmer sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Elmer is headed
Elmer should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Elmer beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Elmer in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
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
Masculine · #1222 in the U.S.
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 27,000 people named Elmer are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Elmer in 2025?
- Elmer ranks #1222 among US boy names in 2025, with 165 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Elmer?
- About 1 in every 10,352 US boys born in 2025 was named Elmer — 165 in all.
- Will my child share the name Elmer with classmates?
- Elmer will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Elmer
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Branson#1222 · Wiley#1222 · Ezio#1222 · Kolby#1222 · Syed#1217 · Demetrius#1227 · Jahziel#1217 · Natanael#1227
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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