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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201943peak #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 1943

girls
#517
208 births · 1 in 6,708 girls

Top girls' names in 1943

  1. #1Mary66,174
  2. #2Barbara43,432
  3. #3Patricia39,620
  4. #4Linda38,439
  5. #5Carol31,686
  6. #6Sandra25,990
  7. #7Judith25,214
  8. #8Sharon24,712
  9. #9Nancy23,988
  10. #10Betty21,596
  11. #517Elma208
More about 1943

girls

1,395,293 girls got a published name in 1943; 1 in 6,708 of them was named Elma, which outranked 90.4% of the 5,367 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elma
  1. #513Winnie210
  2. #515Aileen209
  3. #515Helena209
  4. #517Elma208
  5. #517Carroll208
  6. #519Ladonna207
  7. #519Maryjane207
  8. #519Sherrill207

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1942
Risers
  1. 878Tana#1,559#681
  2. 754Rozanne#1,706#952
  3. 722Cheryle#1,592#870
  4. 596Tena#1,592#996
  5. 525Alexis#1,349#824
Fallers
  1. 594Florida#997#1,591
  2. 467Jerilynn#581#1,048
  3. 364Lorelei#864#1,228
  4. 308Kaaren#536#844
  5. 305Erna#864#1,169

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

See the top 100 for 1943