Ermelinda
Feminine
Ermelinda is two Germanic elements that both resist explanation. The front belongs to a group of names connected to a tribal confederation, a wooden pillar and possibly a god, and specialists have argued about which for a century; the back is an element that appears in dozens of women's names and whose meaning is genuinely disputed. Two blanks joined.
How old is the name Ermelinda?
Ermelinda first appears in US birth records in 1912 — 113 years ago. The typical Ermelinda alive today was born around 1962, making them about 63 years old. About 1,000 people named Ermelinda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ermelinda most popular?
Ermelinda peaked in 1930, reaching #1661 nationally. See the whole 1930 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Two Germanic elements, both disputed to Ermelinda
The story of Ermelinda
The name survives where it was carried rather than where it was made. It is Germanic, it should be commonest in the German-speaking lands, and it is not: it is in ordinary use in Italy, Portugal and Latin America and effectively absent from Germany. That happens more often than it sounds. Germanic names traveled south with the migrations, were absorbed into Latin-speaking populations, and stayed there in local forms long after the language that produced them had moved on; meanwhile German naming turned over several times, dropping the old compounds in favor of biblical and classical names. So the best place to look for medieval Germanic naming is frequently southern Europe, which is not where anybody expects to find it.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Neither element is securely explained. The first is connected to a Germanic word of uncertain sense that also names a tribal group and a cult object; the second has been read as a linden shield, as a serpent and as an adjective meaning soft, with no agreement. A compound of two disputed elements cannot be given a confident reading, and the ones printed for it are choosing among guesses.
How the name formed
- Two Germanic elements, both disputed
- Carried south with the migrations
- Kept in Italian and Portuguese use
- Effectively absent from Germany
Related forms: Ermelinda · Ermelinda · Hermelinda
Pronouncing Ermelinda
er-meh-LIN-duh
Four syllables with the stress on the third. Italian and Portuguese say it the same way; the Spanish form adds a silent h at the front, which changes nothing at all in a language where h is never pronounced.
Nicknames for Ermelinda
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
- 1912
- Most girls named
- 196441 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1661reached in 1930
- Change vs 2011
- +40.0%7 in 2019, from 5
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.
Ermelinda in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ermelinda in Italian — same name
- Ermelinda in Portuguese — same name
- Hermelinda in Spanish — spelling variant
Ermelindas among us
people named Ermelinda 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
Ermelinda 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
- Linda and Erma are two complete names available from one certificate.
- It is a genuine inherited name used across three Romance languages.
- The rhythm is long and even and carries well when said in full.
- Four syllables will be reduced to two by everybody outside the family.
- Neither element can be translated, which is unusual and worth saying plainly.
- It is very rare in American use and will need spelling out.
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Ermelinda
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Ermelindas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,000 people named Ermelinda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ermelinda in 2025?
- Ermelinda is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Ermelinda with classmates?
- Ermelinda 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 Ermelinda? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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