Total births
21,703
Girls' name · since 1880
Elma
21,703 babies named Elma in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4561
- among girls today
- 21,703
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 74%
- more common than other girls
Elma currently ranks #4561 among girls' names in America, with 21,703 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elma has been recorded 21,703 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #4561 nationally and more common than 74% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #4561 among girls today
- 21,703 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 74% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Elma is currently the #4561 girls' name in America, more common than 74% of girls - 21,703 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #4561
- among girls today
- 21,703
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 74%
- more common than other girls
Elma vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#4561
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 74% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Elma was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
659 babies were named Elma in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Elma compares
21,703 Top 6% higher than 94% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Elma's all-time total is 57x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Elma | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 21,703 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 659 | 48 | 19,840 |
Elma's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Elma's full recorded timeline at 1953, 14% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 86% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1987, with just 10 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 659 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Elma at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#4,561
Active since
1880
Elma popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 659
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Elma popularity over time - boys
483 total births recorded since 1896 (Elma as boys' name)
Elma by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Elma's strongest decade.
4,990 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Elma births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 643
1880s
643 births
- 1890s 1,355
1890s
1,355 births
- 1900s 1,940
1900s
1,940 births
- 1910s
1910s
4,802 births
- 1920s
1920s
4,990 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,793 births
- 1940s 1,810
1940s
1,810 births
- 1950s 1,139
1950s
1,139 births
- 1960s 654
1960s
654 births
- 1970s 329
1970s
329 births
- 1980s 196
1980s
196 births
- 1990s 183
1990s
183 births
- 2000s 411
2000s
411 births
- 2010s 298
2010s
298 births
- 2020s 160
2020s
160 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 4,990 births (23% of all-time use).
How Elma compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Elma's total volume
Elma vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Elma by state
Where Elma concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 2,028 | 9.3% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 943 | 4.3% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 861 | 4.0% |
| #4 | Louisiana | | 700 | 3.2% |
| #5 | New York | | 622 | 2.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 609 | 2.8% |
| #7 | Mississippi | | 605 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 525 | 2.4% |
Texas share of Elma's total US births 9.3%
Even split
2,028 of 21,703 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.
Elma appears in 41 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Elma? ▼
Elma has been given to 21,703 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #4561 as of the latest data. 659 babies were born in 1918, its single highest year.
When was Elma most popular? ▼
Elma was most popular in the 1920s decade with 4,990 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Elma most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Elma are Texas (2,028 births), North Carolina (943 births), Pennsylvania (861 births).
How long has the name Elma been used? ▼
Elma has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Elma? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elmira, Elmer, Elmina, Elmyra, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Elma's data
- Elma's decade-level peak was the 1920s (4,990 total births); usage has since declined to 160 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Elmas (2,028 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Elma
Nearby Names Like Elma
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elma
Elmira Girl
#7598 4,360 births
Elmer Girl
1,753 births
Elmina Girl
#10280 834 births
Elmyra Girl
537 births
Elmarie Girl
272 births
Compare Elma side by side: Elma vs Elmira Elma vs Elmer Elma vs Elmina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Elma
Mathilda #4560
7,527 births · Peak 1918
Marietta #4562
15,055 births · Peak 1921
Haisleigh #4559
276 births · Peak 2022
Alida #4563
4,650 births · Peak 1917
Janova #4558
213 births · Peak 2022
Lovina #4564
2,479 births · Peak 2023
Atenea #4557
140 births · Peak 2024
Amie #4565
21,608 births · Peak 1976
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Elma: #4561 Girls' Name - 21,703 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/elma. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Elma draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.