Elmer

Last seen for girls in 1980 at #10,392 · #1,222 for boys in 2025, 165 births
Given to boys 98.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1893 · 574 births
Debut · boys
373 births
In top 100 · boys
53 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
129,591
since 1880

Elmer over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201952peak #32, 1893boys
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#1,222165
2024#1,155181
2023#1,346140
2022#1,191168
2021#1,207160
2020#1,308138
2019#1,118175
2018#1,261145
2017#1,213151
2016#1,141169
2015#1,205153
2014#1,130169
2013#1,144158
2012#1,237143
2011#1,046181
2010#1,005195
2009#909227
2008#1,041182
2007#857244
2006#889221
2005#826227
2004#832214
2003#649307
2002#760227
2001#734237
2000#850188
1999#850178
1998#749215
1997#711222
1996#704225
1995#738212
1994#772186
1993#725205
1992#675236
1991#699210
1990#691215
1989#767167
1988#727168
1987#724160
1986#744149
1985#752140
1984#677163
1983#698150
1982#708151
1981#689157
1980#10,3925#681162
1979#618191
1978#651166
1977#639176
1976#598184
1975#9,0675#590187
1974#537222
1973#539209
1972#502245
1971#486271
1970#476286
1969#450300
1968#435307
1967#6,0426#434306
1966#6,5645#426319
1965#405376
1964#6,0096#407389
1963#6,5925#398409
1962#6,5785#385434
1961#363478
1960#4,4379#342515
1959#4,3009#337529
1958#3,92510#329549
1957#4,5368#289660
1956#5,3256#286656
1955#4,7407#261714
1954#4,6557#271673
1953#3,9559#265688
1952#3,20112#245761
1951#2,93713#226842
1950#3,05212#226809
1949#2,21220#215866
1948#2,49116#203971
1947#2,89813#201997
1946#3,03411#1781,046
1945#2,23715#169969
1944#2,02718#1641,069
1943#2,35215#1541,311
1942#2,04618#1581,228
1941#2,09616#1471,202
1940#2,29713#1441,220
1939#1,51425#1321,327
1938#1,65022#1301,332
1937#1,49325#1201,413
1936#1,18636#1211,412
1935#1,38128#1151,592
1934#1,19036#1081,709
1933#1,33029#1011,787
1932#1,21335#942,058
1931#1,19936#822,265
1930#1,12843#802,476
1929#1,01551#702,697
1928#89667#632,977
1927#1,04254#613,205
1926#96360#613,233
1925#1,06451#613,356
1924#1,12348#573,731
1923#1,15844#573,630
1922#1,05951#543,738
1921#1,00356#484,146
1920#1,07448#454,206
1919#98453#443,982
1918#1,12643#444,373
1917#1,01348#453,812
1916#1,05943#453,936
1915#1,00044#453,802
1914#1,11929#462,878
1913#96131#452,323
1912#97827#471,840
1911#93222#48894
1910#1,06917#48760
1909#76128#45687
1908#82922#42689
1907#1,3849#44616
1906#1,22910#42598
1905#79721#41602
1904#1,09211#39620
1903#1,02712#40556
1902#1,3208#40574
1901#1,1369#38520
1900#88518#38699
1899#1,3946#37514
1898#96313#40583
1897#1,1678#34587
1896#1,04710#36576
1895#1,5925#34610
1894#90512#37575
1893#86512#32574
1892#90811#36592
1891#1,0068#36508
1890#9409#38528
1889#1,1476#34557
1888#39527
1887#36467
1886#35485
1885#7459#40443
1884#35523
1883#40423
1882#38441
1881#38388
1880#41373
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Elmer was already there! It came in at #41, and was given to 373 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2010–2025, when fewer than 200 boys a year got the name.

See more about Elmer
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 67 spots since 2024 (#1,155#1,222)
  • 86 spots since 2020 (#1,308#1,222)
  • 17 spots since 2015 (#1,205#1,222)
  • Biggest jump: 132 spots in 2009 (#1,041#909)
  • Biggest drop: 184 spots in 2008 (#857#1,041)
Rise & fade · boys
13 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1893 at #32 (574 births)
  • Births halved by 1970, 77 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 53 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 53 yrs · run 1880–1932
  • Top 1,000: 129 yrs · run 1880–2007
Share of babies · boys
1 in 192
  • Highest: 1 in 192 boys born in 1897 were named Elmer (0.52%)
  • Latest: 1 in 10,352 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
  • Its best rank, #32 in 1893, was only 1 in 196 (0.51%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 26.9% of all boys named Elmer (34,919) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s4,627#34 (1889)#38
1890s5,647#32 (1893)#36
1900s6,161#38 (1900)#41
1910s28,600#44 (1918)#46
1920s34,919#45 (1920)#58
1930s17,371#80 (1930)#108
1940s10,879#144 (1940)#173
1950s6,881#226 (1951)#274
1960s3,833#342 (1960)#405
1970s2,137#476 (1970)#564
1980s1,567#677 (1984)#717
1990s2,104#675 (1992)#731
2000s2,274#649 (2003)#835
2010s1,639#1,005 (2010)#1,150
2020s952#1,155 (2024)#1,238

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

Elmer in 1952

girls
#3,201
12 births · 1 in 154,528 girls
boys
#245
761 births · 1 in 2,554 boys

Top girls' names in 1952

  1. #1Linda67,082
  2. #2Mary65,629
  3. #3Patricia53,101
  4. #4Deborah49,811
  5. #5Susan41,348
  6. #6Barbara39,864
  7. #7Nancy31,739
  8. #8Karen28,956
  9. #9Debra26,832
  10. #10Sandra26,097
  11. #3,201Elmer12

Top boys' names in 1952

  1. #1James87,065
  2. #2Robert86,588
  3. #3John83,140
  4. #4Michael79,037
  5. #5David71,752
  6. #6William63,039
  7. #7Richard58,350
  8. #8Thomas48,647
  9. #9Charles38,866
  10. #10Gary38,754
  11. #245Elmer761
More about 1952

girls

1,854,335 girls got a published name in 1952; 1 in 154,528 of them was named Elmer, which outranked 49.9% of the 6,389 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elmer
  1. #3,040Willena13
  2. #3,040Windy13
  3. #3,040Zaida13
  4. #3,201Elmer12
  5. #3,201Alan12
  6. #3,201Alissa12
  7. #3,201Altagracia12
  8. #3,372Aldona11
  9. #3,372Alline11
  10. #3,372Andrena11

Tied with 170 names at #3,201; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1951
Risers
  1. 2,501Pandora#3,284#783
  2. 368Lise#1,314#946
  3. 353Vanessa#656#303
  4. 334Dorinda#1,170#836
  5. 332Mitzi#928#596
Fallers
  1. 380Rhona#988#1,368
  2. 342Sharleen#765#1,107
  3. 270Enid#908#1,178
  4. 237Allyn#988#1,225
  5. 230Sheron#908#1,138

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

boys

1,943,633 boys got a published name in 1952; 1 in 2,554 of them was named Elmer, which outranked 94.2% of the 4,257 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elmer
  1. #242Dave769
  2. #242Greg769
  3. #244Max763
  4. #245Elmer761
  5. #246Ira760
  6. #247Bob756
  7. #248Everett749
Biggest movers since 1951
Risers
  1. 753Darren#1,598#845
  2. 372Robby#1,242#870
  3. 355Cris#1,218#863
  4. 301Ethan#1,295#994
  5. 280Adan#1,150#870
Fallers
  1. 477Ottis#984#1,461
  2. 408Wayland#915#1,323
  3. 330Mcarthur#806#1,136
  4. 305Arvin#963#1,268
  5. 285Levon#881#1,166

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

See the top 100 for 1952