Elma
Elma was given to 32 girls in 2025, #4,383 among girls’ names; 22,186 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 4,710 Americans named Elma and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (21% of everyone recorded); the median is 70 years old and half are between 44 and 81.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Elma by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Elma mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Elma is “a female given name originating as a coinage.”
A 19th-century creation, usually explained as a form of Wilhelmina or Italian Guglielma. It has also been recorded as a blend of Elizabeth and Mary.
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Elma?
#4,383 among girls’ names, 2025
Elma rose from #4,519 in 2015 to #4,383 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 17.4 to 19.9 per million.
674 babies in 1918, the peak
Elma peaked in 1918, when 674 babies were given it (659 girls, #249 among girls’ names). The 32 births of 2025 are 5% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 32 | #4,383 | 0.02 |
| 2024 | 30 | #4,589 | 0.02 |
| 2023 | 23 | #5,430 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 25 | #5,208 | 0.02 |
| 2021 | 32 | #4,346 | 0.02 |
| 2020 | 18 | #6,412 | 0.01 |
| 2019 | 27 | #4,946 | 0.02 |
| 2018 | 32 | #4,383 | 0.02 |
| 2017 | 32 | #4,423 | 0.02 |
| 2016 | 27 | #5,037 | 0.02 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 31 | #4,519 | 0.02 |
| 2014 | 27 | #5,065 | 0.02 |
| 2013 | 23 | #5,706 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 35 | #4,236 | 0.02 |
| 2011 | 33 | #4,390 | 0.02 |
| 2010 | 31 | #4,644 | 0.02 |
| 2009 | 37 | #4,125 | 0.02 |
| 2008 | 37 | #4,205 | 0.02 |
| 2007 | 39 | #4,002 | 0.02 |
| 2006 | 37 | #4,019 | 0.02 |
| 2005 | 47 | #3,279 | 0.03 |
| 2004 | 37 | #3,841 | 0.02 |
| 2003 | 51 | #2,961 | 0.03 |
| 2002 | 40 | #3,409 | 0.02 |
| 2001 | 48 | #2,970 | 0.03 |
| 2000 | 38 | #3,465 | 0.02 |
| 1999 | 36 | #3,457 | 0.02 |
| 1998 | 18 | #5,641 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 13 | #6,973 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 20 | #4,920 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 19 | #5,074 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 17 | #5,518 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 17 | #5,488 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 17 | #5,545 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 12 | #7,084 | 0.01 |
| 1990 | 14 | #6,224 | 0.01 |
| 1989 | 21 | #4,393 | 0.01 |
| 1988 | 19 | #4,526 | 0.01 |
| 1987 | 10 | #6,941 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 13 | #5,528 | 0.01 |
| 1985 | 22 | #3,760 | 0.01 |
| 1984 | 27 | #3,166 | 0.02 |
| 1983 | 19 | #3,989 | 0.01 |
| 1982 | 23 | #3,559 | 0.01 |
| 1981 | 20 | #3,897 | 0.01 |
| 1980 | 22 | #3,640 | 0.01 |
| 1979 | 26 | #3,173 | 0.02 |
| 1978 | 31 | #2,699 | 0.02 |
| 1977 | 23 | #3,303 | 0.02 |
| 1976 | 33 | #2,450 | 0.02 |
| 1975 | 29 | #2,630 | 0.02 |
| 1974 | 35 | #2,264 | 0.02 |
| 1973 | 33 | #2,321 | 0.02 |
| 1972 | 41 | #1,980 | 0.03 |
| 1971 | 44 | #1,944 | 0.03 |
| 1970 | 34 | #2,279 | 0.02 |
| 1969 | 47 | #1,790 | 0.03 |
| 1968 | 50 | #1,632 | 0.03 |
| 1967 | 49 | #1,622 | 0.03 |
| 1966 | 47 | #1,635 | 0.03 |
| 1965 | 66 | #1,354 | 0.04 |
| 1964 | 62 | #1,435 | 0.03 |
| 1963 | 76 | #1,265 | 0.04 |
| 1962 | 74 | #1,289 | 0.04 |
| 1961 | 72 | #1,305 | 0.04 |
| 1960 | 111 | #1,022 | 0.05 |
| 1959 | 89 | #1,130 | 0.04 |
| 1958 | 108 | #999 | 0.05 |
| 1957 | 94 | #1,073 | 0.05 |
| 1956 | 103 | #1,006 | 0.05 |
| 1955 | 104 | #977 | 0.05 |
| 1954 | 114 | #897 | 0.06 |
| 1953 | 129 | #811 | 0.07 |
| 1952 | 130 | #791 | 0.07 |
| 1951 | 125 | #794 | 0.07 |
| 1950 | 143 | #716 | 0.08 |
| 1949 | 150 | #684 | 0.09 |
| 1948 | 159 | #661 | 0.09 |
| 1947 | 167 | #643 | 0.09 |
| 1946 | 162 | #624 | 0.10 |
| 1945 | 179 | #547 | 0.14 |
| 1944 | 162 | #577 | 0.12 |
| 1943 | 208 | #518 | 0.15 |
| 1942 | 226 | #495 | 0.17 |
| 1941 | 193 | #501 | 0.16 |
| 1940 | 204 | #470 | 0.18 |
| 1939 | 204 | #469 | 0.19 |
| 1938 | 244 | #429 | 0.22 |
| 1937 | 225 | #437 | 0.21 |
| 1936 | 258 | #396 | 0.25 |
| 1935 | 267 | #393 | 0.25 |
| 1934 | 285 | #375 | 0.27 |
| 1933 | 297 | #369 | 0.29 |
| 1932 | 299 | #373 | 0.28 |
| 1931 | 352 | #339 | 0.33 |
| 1930 | 362 | #346 | 0.32 |
| 1929 | 360 | #341 | 0.32 |
| 1928 | 424 | #321 | 0.37 |
| 1927 | 465 | #308 | 0.39 |
| 1926 | 449 | #313 | 0.38 |
| 1925 | 487 | #301 | 0.40 |
| 1924 | 522 | #290 | 0.42 |
| 1923 | 494 | #289 | 0.41 |
| 1922 | 579 | #268 | 0.48 |
| 1921 | 610 | #271 | 0.49 |
| 1920 | 600 | #266 | 0.50 |
| 1919 | 594 | #262 | 0.53 |
| 1918 | 659 | #249 | 0.57 |
| 1917 | 580 | #256 | 0.54 |
| 1916 | 622 | #246 | 0.60 |
| 1915 | 575 | #245 | 0.58 |
| 1914 | 484 | #242 | 0.64 |
| 1913 | 388 | #245 | 0.62 |
| 1912 | 375 | #234 | 0.67 |
| 1911 | 252 | #248 | 0.60 |
| 1910 | 273 | #235 | 0.69 |
| 1909 | 248 | #227 | 0.71 |
| 1908 | 208 | #234 | 0.62 |
| 1907 | 228 | #219 | 0.72 |
| 1906 | 193 | #227 | 0.65 |
| 1905 | 171 | #245 | 0.59 |
| 1904 | 160 | #248 | 0.58 |
| 1903 | 162 | #235 | 0.62 |
| 1902 | 199 | #210 | 0.75 |
| 1901 | 189 | #209 | 0.79 |
| 1900 | 182 | #235 | 0.61 |
| 1899 | 136 | #238 | 0.58 |
| 1898 | 172 | #222 | 0.66 |
| 1897 | 156 | #218 | 0.67 |
| 1896 | 160 | #219 | 0.67 |
| 1895 | 137 | #234 | 0.59 |
| 1894 | 127 | #237 | 0.57 |
| 1893 | 129 | #231 | 0.61 |
| 1892 | 112 | #249 | 0.53 |
| 1891 | 118 | #223 | 0.64 |
| 1890 | 108 | #234 | 0.57 |
| 1889 | 98 | #235 | 0.55 |
| 1888 | 97 | #235 | 0.54 |
| 1887 | 73 | #246 | 0.50 |
| 1886 | 82 | #223 | 0.57 |
| 1885 | 76 | #227 | 0.57 |
| 1884 | 59 | #254 | 0.46 |
| 1883 | 42 | #274 | 0.37 |
| 1882 | 47 | #251 | 0.44 |
| 1881 | 41 | #247 | 0.45 |
| 1880 | 28 | #297 | 0.31 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Elma a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 22,186 Americans recorded as Elma, 98% are girls and 2% boys. In 2025 it went to 32 girls; SSA lists no boys with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Elma: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Elma, and how old are they?
4,710 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 21% of the 22,186 Americans ever recorded as Elma. The median Elma alive today is 70 years old; half are between 44 and 81.
The 2020 Census counted 8,574 people named Elma (8,443 women and girls, 131 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 5,932 born in the U.S. The Census count is 45% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,230 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,660 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 562 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 282 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 571 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 357 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Elma born?
The states with the most babies named Elma are Texas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, with 27% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2,034 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| North Carolina | 948 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| Pennsylvania | 861 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Louisiana | 700 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| New York | 622 | #1,701 | 0.4× |
| Mississippi | 610 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Ohio | 609 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Alabama | 537 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Georgia | 528 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| California | 522 | not ranked | 0.6× |
Where Elma is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Elma is most over-represented in Texas: since 1910 it was given 1.9 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Elma with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Elma
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Elma and names like it
- Compare Elma and AldaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sElma peaked in 1918.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Elma since 1910.
- Coined namesWiktionary’s origin for Elma: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1918The year the most babies were named Elma.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Elma alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with EMost given first.