Elma

#4,352 for girls in 2025, 32 births · Last seen for boys in 1957 at #3,024
Given to girls 97.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1901 · 189 births
Debut · girls
28 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
21,703
since 1880

Elma over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Elma has never cracked the top 200 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201918peak #209, 1901girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#4,35232
2024#4,56030
2023#5,39023
2022#5,17225
2021#4,32632
2020#6,32518
2019#4,90927
2018#4,35732
2017#4,38432
2016#4,99027
2015#4,48831
2014#5,02527
2013#5,64423
2012#4,21635
2011#4,35333
2010#4,60831
2009#4,10737
2008#4,17937
2007#3,98339
2006#3,99237
2005#3,25747
2004#3,81937
2003#2,95651
2002#3,39440
2001#2,96348
2000#3,45338
1999#3,44336
1998#5,58318
1997#6,84413
1996#4,88320
1995#5,01919
1994#5,44517
1993#5,41917
1992#5,48417
1991#6,97612
1990#6,13114
1989#4,35821
1988#4,49619
1987#6,78810
1986#5,45913
1985#3,73022
1984#3,14427
1983#3,94919
1982#3,53023
1981#3,85920
1980#3,60922
1979#3,14726
1978#2,68031
1977#3,26723
1976#2,43933
1975#2,61229
1974#2,25435
1973#2,30933
1972#1,97541
1971#1,93744
1970#2,26734
1969#1,78447
1968#1,62550
1967#1,61749
1966#1,63247
1965#1,35066
1964#1,43362
1963#1,26276
1962#1,28374
1961#1,30572
1960#1,020111
1959#1,13089
1958#1,000108
1957#1,07294#3,0248
1956#1,007103
1955#978104
1954#897114
1953#809129
1952#791130
1951#794125#3,3646
1950#717143#3,3296
1949#683150#2,8028
1948#661159#3,0107
1947#643167#3,7335
1946#624162
1945#547179#3,3385
1944#576162#1,98813
1943#517208
1942#495226#2,7128
1941#501193#1,99713
1940#470204#2,6718
1939#469204#2,28810
1938#428244#2,18511
1937#436225#1,75616
1936#396258#2,30110
1935#393267#2,5299
1934#375285#2,39310
1933#369297#2,5429
1932#373299#2,8498
1931#339352#2,8648
1930#345362#2,7819
1929#341360#2,31712
1928#321424#1,82218
1927#308465#1,79619
1926#313449#1,60522
1925#301487#1,93517
1924#290522#2,22914
1923#289494#1,87418
1922#268579#2,34713
1921#271610#1,90418
1920#266600#1,74720
1919#262594#2,06315
1918#249659#2,07315
1917#256580#2,7329
1916#246622#1,45923
1915#245575#2,18412
1914#242484#2,10110
1913#245388#1,49713
1912#233375#1,52711
1911#248252#1,5376
1910#234273
1909#227248
1908#234208
1907#219228
1906#227193
1905#243171#1,2335
1904#248160
1903#235162
1902#210199
1901#209189
1900#235182
1899#238136
1898#221172
1897#218156
1896#219160#9826
1895#234137
1894#237127
1893#230129
1892#248112
1891#223118
1890#234108
1889#23598
1888#23497
1887#24673
1886#22282
1885#22776
1884#25359
1883#27442
1882#25047
1881#24741
1880#29428
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Elma was already there! It came in at #294, and was given to 28 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1986–1987, when fewer than 14 girls a year got the name.

See more about Elma
Momentum · girls
Rising
  • 208 spots since 2024 (#4,560#4,352)
  • 1,973 spots since 2020 (#6,325#4,352)
  • 136 spots since 2015 (#4,488#4,352)
  • Biggest jump: 72 spots in 1958 (#1,072#1,000)
  • Biggest drop: 130 spots in 1959 (#1,000#1,130)
Rise & fade · girls
21 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1901 at #209 (189 births)
  • Births halved by 1957, 56 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 77 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 77 yrs · run 1880–1955
Share of babies · girls
1 in 1,266
  • Highest: 1 in 1,266 girls born in 1901 were named Elma (0.08%)
  • Latest: 1 in 50,227 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 23.0% of all girls named Elma (4,990) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s643#222 (1886)#248
1890s1,355#218 (1897)#230
1900s1,940#209 (1901)#229
1910s4,802#233 (1912)#246
1920s4,990#266 (1920)#297
1930s2,793#339 (1931)#392
1940s1,810#470 (1940)#572
1950s1,139#717 (1950)#920
1960s654#1,020 (1960)#1,431
1970s329#1,937 (1971)#2,489
1980s196#3,144 (1984)#4,292
1990s183#3,443 (1999)#5,523
2000s411#2,956 (2003)#3,610
2010s298#4,216 (2012)#4,697
2020s160#4,326 (2021)#5,021

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Elma in 1918

girls
#249
659 births · 1 in 1,757 girls
boys
#2,073
15 births · 1 in 67,565 boys

Top girls' names in 1918

  1. #1Mary67,365
  2. #2Helen36,148
  3. #3Dorothy32,030
  4. #4Margaret27,139
  5. #5Ruth25,535
  6. #6Mildred17,258
  7. #7Virginia16,421
  8. #8Frances16,132
  9. #9Elizabeth15,853
  10. #10Anna15,666
  11. #249Elma659

Top boys' names in 1918

  1. #1John56,558
  2. #2William45,291
  3. #3James42,115
  4. #4Robert40,619
  5. #5Charles26,921
  6. #6George26,318
  7. #7Joseph26,261
  8. #8Edward19,489
  9. #9Frank17,018
  10. #10Thomas13,910
  11. #2,073Elma15
More about 1918

girls

1,157,631 girls got a published name in 1918; 1 in 1,757 of them was named Elma, which outranked 95.5% of the 5,585 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elma
  1. #246Nell687
  2. #247Teresa674
  3. #248Fay662
  4. #249Elma659
  5. #250Gwendolyn657
  6. #251Janie656
  7. #252Iris655
Biggest movers since 1917
Risers
  1. 547Jesse#1,507#960
  2. 494Liberty#1,079#585
  3. 389Marilynn#1,337#948
  4. 312Margueritte#1,281#969
  5. 306Syble#807#501
Fallers
  1. 447Valentine#964#1,411
  2. 428Ottie#952#1,380
  3. 354Delora#923#1,277
  4. 318Georgene#896#1,214
  5. 299Clifford#904#1,203

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,013,480 boys got a published name in 1918; 1 in 67,565 of them was named Elma, which outranked 56.9% of the 4,813 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.0% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elma
  1. #1,998Willaim16
  2. #1,998Wray16
  3. #1,998York16
  4. #2,073Elma15
  5. #2,073Achille15
  6. #2,073Adolphe15
  7. #2,073Aime15
  8. #2,165Alfio14
  9. #2,165Alvia14
  10. #2,165Amel14

Tied with 91 names at #2,073; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1917
Risers
  1. 600Quinton#1,092#492
  2. 542Pershing#876#334
  3. 480Quentin#723#243
  4. 440Issac#1,264#824
  5. 339Furman#1,092#753
Fallers
  1. 473Bernhard#900#1,373
  2. 424Edson#919#1,343
  3. 394Gasper#919#1,313
  4. 352Berton#934#1,286
  5. 346Ishmael#997#1,343

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1918