Elmo

Last seen for girls in 1937 at #4,255 · Last seen for boys in 2023 at #12,239
Given to boys 97.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1909 · 80 births
Debut · boys
15 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
10,091
since 1880

Elmo over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Elmo has never cracked the top 200 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201920peak #247, 1909boys
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
2024
2023#12,2395
2022
2021#10,7996
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013#12,1365
2012
2011
2010
2009#12,4915
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003#8,6437
2002
2001#6,01311
2000
1999#8,7046
1998#7,5607
1997#6,6188
1996#7,1367
1995
1994#3,59618
1993#6,2288
1992#5,6609
1991#4,47612
1990#4,99310
1989#6,9416
1988#3,52314
1987#3,33914
1986#3,26814
1985#3,59912
1984#2,95615
1983#2,57718
1982#3,28213
1981#2,77916
1980#4,1349
1979#2,89715
1978#2,79915
1977#2,55617
1976#1,82827
1975#2,20520
1974#2,27718
1973#2,12419
1972#1,64828
1971#2,12619
1970#1,79424
1969#1,35135
1968#1,50627
1967#1,36431
1966#1,40130
1965#1,45628
1964#1,12646
1963#1,25538
1962#1,21541
1961#1,07852
1960#1,13148
1959#99360
1958#1,04953
1957#92866
1956#94063
1955#87471
1954#80081
1953#85870
1952#87065
1951#74986
1950#78476
1949#81471
1948#68894
1947#692100
1946#64899
1945#68478
1944#569116
1943#576121
1942#550125
1941#559115
1940#582103
1939#537113
1938#495137
1937#4,2555#508128
1936#3,7016#469144
1935#466148
1934#487138
1933#4,2185#450150
1932#448158
1931#491137
1930#433183
1929#2,92110#453170
1928#4,1956#383235
1927#387235
1926#3,04610#374243
1925#2,19117#356273
1924#3,3939#328313
1923#3,3509#311338
1922#2,61213#323317
1921#3,16410#293370
1920#2,73112#279397
1919#2,51513#304324
1918#2,82211#301334
1917#1,92318#265366
1916#1,80519#261363
1915#2,38412#301286
1914#2,8767#282247
1913#1,46516#277197
1912#1,54013#271169
1911#1,7928#251104
1910#2,3985#26386
1909#1,7637#24780
1908#30751
1907#27358
1906#1,7276#28150
1905#41027
1904#40127
1903#37027
1902#38027
1901#33429
1900#34340
1899#41520
1898#33932
1897#41121
1896#40723
1895#36826
1894#59412
1893#45916
1892#54714
1891#45615
1890#56612
1889#52513
1888#46417
1887#6798
1886#54012
1885#49814
1884#54712
1883#44816
1882#41619
1881#5959
1880#46515
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Elmo was already there! It came in at #465, and was given to 15 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1995, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

See more about Elmo
Momentum · boys
Faded out
  • Not published in 2025; last seen 2023
  • Biggest jump: 226 spots in 1895 (#594#368)
  • Biggest drop: 139 spots in 1887 (#540#679)
Rise & fade · boys
29 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1909 at #247 (80 births)
  • Births halved by 1963, 54 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 79 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 79 yrs · run 1880–1957
Share of babies · boys
1 in 2,050
  • Highest: 1 in 2,050 boys born in 1909 were named Elmo (0.05%)
  • Latest: 1 in 342,115 boys born in 2023 (0.00%)
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 28.6% of all boys named Elmo (2,891) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s135#416 (1882)#518
1890s191#339 (1898)#456
1900s416#247 (1909)#335
1910s2,476#251 (1911)#278
1920s2,891#279 (1920)#349
1930s1,436#433 (1930)#478
1940s1,022#550 (1942)#636
1950s691#749 (1951)#885
1960s376#1,078 (1961)#1,288
1970s202#1,648 (1972)#2,225
1980s131#2,577 (1983)#3,640
1990s85#3,596 (1994)#6,108
2000s23#6,013 (2001)#9,049
2010s5#12,136 (2013)#12,136
2020s11#10,799 (2021)#11,519

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.

Elmo in 1920

girls
#2,731
12 births · 1 in 99,857 girls
boys
#279
397 births · 1 in 2,681 boys

Top girls' names in 1920

  1. #1Mary70,983
  2. #2Dorothy36,643
  3. #3Helen35,097
  4. #4Margaret27,994
  5. #5Ruth26,102
  6. #6Mildred18,060
  7. #7Virginia17,314
  8. #8Elizabeth15,908
  9. #9Frances15,883
  10. #10Anna14,581
  11. #2,731Elmo12

Top boys' names in 1920

  1. #1John56,913
  2. #2William50,146
  3. #3Robert48,679
  4. #4James47,908
  5. #5Charles28,309
  6. #6George26,891
  7. #7Joseph25,587
  8. #8Edward20,097
  9. #9Frank16,430
  10. #10Richard15,010
  11. #279Elmo397
More about 1920

girls

1,198,289 girls got a published name in 1920; 1 in 99,857 of them was named Elmo, which outranked 52.6% of the 5,767 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elmo
  1. #2,590Wynelle13
  2. #2,590Zela13
  3. #2,590Zulema13
  4. #2,731Elmo12
  5. #2,731Adelyne12
  6. #2,731Aldonia12
  7. #2,731Alfreida12
  8. #2,899Ailie11
  9. #2,899Alee11
  10. #2,899Aletta11

Tied with 167 names at #2,731; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1919
Risers
  1. 550Denise#1,481#931
  2. 321Blossom#1,242#921
  3. 311Lilia#1,242#931
  4. 302Ena#1,270#968
  5. 277Lorayne#1,216#939
Fallers
  1. 594Haruko#917#1,511
  2. 511Roselle#1,000#1,511
  3. 345Toshiko#967#1,312
  4. 304Carroll#902#1,206
  5. 297Santina#835#1,132

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

boys

1,064,356 boys got a published name in 1920; 1 in 2,681 of them was named Elmo, which outranked 94.4% of the 4,989 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elmo
  1. #275Mario408
  2. #277Harrison407
  3. #278Garland403
  4. #279Elmo397
  5. #280Doyle395
  6. #281Elton394
  7. #282Grant391
Biggest movers since 1919
Risers
  1. 960Harding#1,351#391
  2. 607Cameron#1,351#744
  3. 566Hardin#1,531#965
  4. 392Laurel#1,321#929
  5. 368Terrence#1,297#929
Fallers
  1. 789Pershing#593#1,382
  2. 580Woodroe#877#1,457
  3. 385Quinten#867#1,252
  4. 383Orvel#890#1,273
  5. 373Rexford#927#1,300

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

See the top 100 for 1920