Boys' name · since 1915

Elman

176 babies named Elman in U.S. Social Security records since 1915, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#13,734 of 45,481
all-time among boys
176
born since 1915
1920s
peak decade

Elman is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 176 have been recorded since 1915.

Elman has 176 recorded births among boys since 1915, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2012.

  • #13,734 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 176 born since 1915
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elman ranks #13,734 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 176 born since 1915, peaking in the 1920s.

#13,734 of 45,481
all-time among boys
176
born since 1915
1920s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Elman's 176 recorded births place it above 69.73% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Elman's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Elman splits its recorded history at 1924: 43% of all births land in the more recent half, 57% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1929 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1920 peak of 17 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Elman popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2012

Last recorded 2012
Peak year (1920)
17
Annual births at peak, across 98 years of records
05101520 1915191819211924192719422012 7

Elman by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (98 births, 56% of the file).

1920s was Elman's strongest decade.

98 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 56% of all-time use.

Elman births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 98 births (56% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Elman? ▼
Since 1915, Social Security records show 176 babies named Elman. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #13,734 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. The most recent recorded year was 2012. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 17 births.
Where does Elman sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elman ranks #13,734 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Elman most popular? ▼
Elman was most popular in the 1920s decade with 98 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
How long has the name Elman been used? ▼
Records for Elman go back to 1915, giving 98 years of history through 2012.
What names are similar to Elman? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elmer, Elmo, Elmore, Elmon, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Elman's data

  • Elman's decade-level peak was the 1920s (98 total births); usage has since declined to 7 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Elman

Nearby Names Like Elman

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elman

Elmer Boy
#1222 129,591 births
Elmo Boy
10,091 births
Elmore Boy
3,957 births
Elmon Boy
591 births
Elma Boy
483 births

Compare Elman side by side: Elman vs Elmer Elman vs Elmo Elman vs Elmore

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Tip
176 births · Peak 1923
Boniface #8281
176 births · Peak 1924
Jewett
176 births · Peak 1924
Merlon
176 births · Peak 1922
Arcenio
176 births · Peak 1989
Bradrick
176 births · Peak 1979
Sherri
176 births · Peak 1964
Christorpher
176 births · Peak 1981

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Elman: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 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, 1915–2012 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

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 Elman 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 August 2026.