Elmer
Elmer was given to 165 boys in 2025, #1,223 among boys’ names; 131,344 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 24,700 Americans named Elmer and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (19% of everyone recorded); the median is 64 years old and half are between 33 and 78.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Elmer by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Elmer mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Elmer is “a male given name from Old English transferred back from the surname in the 19th century U.S.” Its etymology gives the senses “noble” (æþel) and “famous” (mǣre).
Medieval variant of the given name Aylmer, from Old English Æþelmǣr, from æþel (“noble”) + mǣre (“famous”).
/ˈɛlmɚ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Elmer?
#1,223 among boys’ names, 2025
Elmer fell from #1,206 in 2015 to #1,223 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born rose from 79.8 to 96.6 per million.
4,416 babies in 1918, the peak
Elmer peaked in 1918, when 4,416 babies were given it (4,373 boys, #44 among boys’ names). The 165 births of 2025 are 4% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 165 | #1,223 | 0.10 |
| 2024 | 181 | #1,156 | 0.11 |
| 2023 | 140 | #1,351 | 0.08 |
| 2022 | 168 | #1,192 | 0.10 |
| 2021 | 160 | #1,209 | 0.09 |
| 2020 | 138 | #1,310 | 0.08 |
| 2019 | 175 | #1,120 | 0.10 |
| 2018 | 145 | #1,266 | 0.08 |
| 2017 | 151 | #1,217 | 0.08 |
| 2016 | 169 | #1,143 | 0.09 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 153 | #1,206 | 0.08 |
| 2014 | 169 | #1,130 | 0.09 |
| 2013 | 158 | #1,147 | 0.08 |
| 2012 | 143 | #1,237 | 0.08 |
| 2011 | 181 | #1,047 | 0.10 |
| 2010 | 195 | #1,007 | 0.10 |
| 2009 | 227 | #910 | 0.11 |
| 2008 | 182 | #1,042 | 0.09 |
| 2007 | 244 | #857 | 0.12 |
| 2006 | 221 | #890 | 0.11 |
| 2005 | 227 | #826 | 0.11 |
| 2004 | 214 | #832 | 0.11 |
| 2003 | 307 | #650 | 0.16 |
| 2002 | 227 | #759 | 0.12 |
| 2001 | 237 | #734 | 0.12 |
| 2000 | 188 | #848 | 0.10 |
| 1999 | 178 | #850 | 0.09 |
| 1998 | 215 | #748 | 0.11 |
| 1997 | 222 | #711 | 0.12 |
| 1996 | 225 | #703 | 0.12 |
| 1995 | 212 | #735 | 0.11 |
| 1994 | 186 | #771 | 0.10 |
| 1993 | 205 | #724 | 0.10 |
| 1992 | 236 | #673 | 0.12 |
| 1991 | 210 | #695 | 0.10 |
| 1990 | 215 | #689 | 0.10 |
| 1989 | 167 | #766 | 0.08 |
| 1988 | 168 | #727 | 0.09 |
| 1987 | 160 | #724 | 0.09 |
| 1986 | 149 | #744 | 0.08 |
| 1985 | 140 | #754 | 0.08 |
| 1984 | 163 | #677 | 0.09 |
| 1983 | 150 | #699 | 0.08 |
| 1982 | 151 | #708 | 0.08 |
| 1981 | 157 | #690 | 0.09 |
| 1980 | 162 | #681 | 0.09 |
| 1979 | 191 | #621 | 0.11 |
| 1978 | 166 | #651 | 0.10 |
| 1977 | 176 | #641 | 0.11 |
| 1976 | 184 | #598 | 0.12 |
| 1975 | 187 | #590 | 0.12 |
| 1974 | 222 | #538 | 0.14 |
| 1973 | 209 | #539 | 0.13 |
| 1972 | 245 | #504 | 0.15 |
| 1971 | 271 | #486 | 0.15 |
| 1970 | 286 | #476 | 0.15 |
| 1969 | 300 | #450 | 0.17 |
| 1968 | 307 | #435 | 0.18 |
| 1967 | 306 | #434 | 0.18 |
| 1966 | 319 | #427 | 0.18 |
| 1965 | 376 | #405 | 0.20 |
| 1964 | 389 | #408 | 0.20 |
| 1963 | 409 | #398 | 0.20 |
| 1962 | 434 | #386 | 0.21 |
| 1961 | 478 | #364 | 0.23 |
| 1960 | 515 | #342 | 0.24 |
| 1959 | 529 | #337 | 0.25 |
| 1958 | 549 | #329 | 0.26 |
| 1957 | 660 | #289 | 0.31 |
| 1956 | 656 | #286 | 0.31 |
| 1955 | 714 | #261 | 0.35 |
| 1954 | 673 | #271 | 0.33 |
| 1953 | 688 | #265 | 0.35 |
| 1952 | 761 | #245 | 0.39 |
| 1951 | 842 | #226 | 0.45 |
| 1950 | 809 | #226 | 0.45 |
| 1949 | 866 | #215 | 0.49 |
| 1948 | 971 | #203 | 0.55 |
| 1947 | 997 | #201 | 0.54 |
| 1946 | 1,046 | #178 | 0.64 |
| 1945 | 969 | #169 | 0.72 |
| 1944 | 1,069 | #164 | 0.78 |
| 1943 | 1,311 | #154 | 0.92 |
| 1942 | 1,228 | #158 | 0.89 |
| 1941 | 1,202 | #147 | 1.0 |
| 1940 | 1,220 | #144 | 1.1 |
| 1939 | 1,327 | #132 | 1.2 |
| 1938 | 1,332 | #130 | 1.2 |
| 1937 | 1,413 | #120 | 1.3 |
| 1936 | 1,412 | #121 | 1.4 |
| 1935 | 1,592 | #115 | 1.5 |
| 1934 | 1,709 | #108 | 1.7 |
| 1933 | 1,787 | #101 | 1.8 |
| 1932 | 2,058 | #94 | 2.0 |
| 1931 | 2,265 | #82 | 2.2 |
| 1930 | 2,476 | #80 | 2.3 |
| 1929 | 2,697 | #70 | 2.5 |
| 1928 | 2,977 | #63 | 2.7 |
| 1927 | 3,205 | #61 | 2.8 |
| 1926 | 3,233 | #61 | 2.9 |
| 1925 | 3,356 | #61 | 3.0 |
| 1924 | 3,731 | #57 | 3.3 |
| 1923 | 3,630 | #57 | 3.3 |
| 1922 | 3,738 | #54 | 3.4 |
| 1921 | 4,146 | #48 | 3.8 |
| 1920 | 4,206 | #45 | 4.0 |
| 1919 | 3,982 | #44 | 4.1 |
| 1918 | 4,373 | #44 | 4.3 |
| 1917 | 3,812 | #45 | 4.1 |
| 1916 | 3,936 | #45 | 4.4 |
| 1915 | 3,802 | #45 | 4.5 |
| 1914 | 2,878 | #46 | 4.4 |
| 1913 | 2,323 | #45 | 4.5 |
| 1912 | 1,840 | #47 | 4.3 |
| 1911 | 894 | #48 | 4.0 |
| 1910 | 760 | #48 | 3.9 |
| 1909 | 687 | #45 | 4.2 |
| 1908 | 689 | #42 | 4.5 |
| 1907 | 616 | #45 | 4.2 |
| 1906 | 598 | #42 | 4.5 |
| 1905 | 602 | #41 | 4.6 |
| 1904 | 620 | #39 | 4.8 |
| 1903 | 556 | #40 | 4.7 |
| 1902 | 574 | #40 | 4.7 |
| 1901 | 520 | #38 | 4.9 |
| 1900 | 699 | #38 | 4.6 |
| 1899 | 514 | #37 | 4.8 |
| 1898 | 583 | #40 | 4.8 |
| 1897 | 587 | #34 | 5.2 |
| 1896 | 576 | #36 | 4.8 |
| 1895 | 610 | #34 | 5.2 |
| 1894 | 575 | #37 | 5.0 |
| 1893 | 574 | #32 | 5.1 |
| 1892 | 592 | #36 | 4.9 |
| 1891 | 508 | #36 | 5.0 |
| 1890 | 528 | #38 | 4.8 |
| 1889 | 557 | #34 | 5.0 |
| 1888 | 527 | #39 | 4.4 |
| 1887 | 467 | #36 | 4.6 |
| 1886 | 485 | #35 | 4.4 |
| 1885 | 443 | #40 | 4.1 |
| 1884 | 523 | #35 | 4.6 |
| 1883 | 423 | #40 | 4.0 |
| 1882 | 441 | #38 | 3.9 |
| 1881 | 388 | #38 | 3.9 |
| 1880 | 373 | #41 | 3.4 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Elmer a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 131,344 Americans recorded as Elmer, 1% are girls and 99% boys. In 2025 it went to 165 boys; SSA lists no girls 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 Elmer: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Elmer, and how old are they?
24,700 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 19% of the 131,344 Americans ever recorded as Elmer. The median Elmer alive today is 64 years old; half are between 33 and 78.
The 2020 Census counted 38,051 people named Elmer (275 women and girls, 37,776 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 30,556 born in the U.S. The Census count is 25% 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 | 4,700 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 8,340 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 3,430 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 2,750 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 3,350 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 2,060 |
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 Elmer born?
The states with the most babies named Elmer are Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio, with 21% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 9,683 | #403 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 6,995 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 6,284 | #1,147 | 1.1× |
| Texas | 5,641 | #1,227 | 0.9× |
| Kentucky | 5,190 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Missouri | 4,849 | #810 | 1.5× |
| California | 4,588 | #1,317 | 0.8× |
| Michigan | 4,104 | #859 | 0.9× |
| New York | 3,867 | #1,625 | 0.4× |
| Wisconsin | 3,778 | not ranked | 1.3× |
Where Elmer is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Elmer is most over-represented in Kentucky: 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 boys’ 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 Elmer with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 3 names spelled alike, given to 131,722 babies since 1880, Elmer is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 165 of their 165 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Elmer
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 Elmer and names like it
- Compare Elmer and ElmarBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sElmer peaked in 1918.
- Pennsylvania’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Elmer since 1910.
- Old English namesWiktionary’s origin for Elmer: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1918The year the most babies were named Elmer.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Elmer alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with EMost given first.