Total births
54,949
Girls' name · since 1880
Erma
54,949 babies named Erma in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #7596
- among girls today
- 54,949
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 57%
- more common than other girls
Erma currently ranks #7596 among girls' names in America, with 54,949 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Erma recorded 54,949 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #7596 nationally today, ahead of 57% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #7596 among girls today
- 54,949 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 57% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Erma is currently the #7596 girls' name in America, more common than 57% of girls - 54,949 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #7596
- among girls today
- 54,949
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 57%
- more common than other girls
Erma vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#7596
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 57% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Erma was born in this single decade.
1920
Single peak year
1,529 babies were named Erma in 1920 - its busiest year on record.
How Erma compares
54,949 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Erma's all-time total is 144x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Erma | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 54,949 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,529 | 48 | 19,840 |
Erma's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Erma's full recorded timeline at 1953, 11% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 89% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2009, with just 12 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1920 peak of 1,529 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Erma at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1920
Current rank
#7,596
Active since
1880
Erma popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 1,529
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Erma popularity over time - boys
238 total births recorded since 1910 (Erma as boys' name)
Erma by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Erma's strongest decade.
14,260 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Erma births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 540
1880s
540 births
- 1890s 1,895
1890s
1,895 births
- 1900s 3,623
1900s
3,623 births
- 1910s
1910s
10,953 births
- 1920s
1920s
14,260 births
- 1930s
1930s
9,701 births
- 1940s
1940s
6,555 births
- 1950s 3,916
1950s
3,916 births
- 1960s 1,719
1960s
1,719 births
- 1970s 639
1970s
639 births
- 1980s 385
1980s
385 births
- 1990s 235
1990s
235 births
- 2000s 225
2000s
225 births
- 2010s 179
2010s
179 births
- 2020s 124
2020s
124 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 14,260 births (26% of all-time use).
How Erma 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 Erma's total volume
Erma vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Erma by state
Where Erma concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 3,978 | 7.2% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 3,827 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 2,791 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Arkansas | | 2,697 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Missouri | | 2,208 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 2,009 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Oklahoma | | 1,857 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Mississippi | | 1,855 | 3.4% |
Texas share of Erma's total US births 7.2%
Even split
3,978 of 54,949 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Erma appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Erma? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 54,949 babies named Erma. Today it holds rank #7596 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 1,529 births.
When was Erma most popular? ▼
Erma was most popular in the 1920s decade with 14,260 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Erma most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Erma are Texas (3,978 births), Pennsylvania (3,827 births), Ohio (2,791 births).
How long has the name Erma been used? ▼
Erma has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Erma? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Erminia, Ermelinda, Ermine, Ermal, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Erma's data
- Erma's decade-level peak was the 1920s (14,260 total births); usage has since declined to 124 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Ermas (3,978 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 Erma
Nearby Names Like Erma
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Erma
Erminia Girl
1,497 births
Ermelinda Girl
1,374 births
Ermine Girl
522 births
Ermal Girl
342 births
Ermalinda Girl
331 births
Compare Erma side by side: Erma vs Erminia Erma vs Ermelinda Erma vs Ermine
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Erma
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. "Erma: #7596 Girls' Name - 54,949 Births, Peak 1920." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/erma. 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 Erma 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.