Elma

#4,352 for girls in 2025, 32 births · Last seen for boys in 1957 at #3,024
Given to girls 97.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1901 · 189 births
Debut · girls
28 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
21,703
since 1880

Elma over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Elma has never cracked the top 200 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201881peak #209, 1901girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#4,35232—
2024#4,56030—
2023#5,39023—
2022#5,17225—
2021#4,32632—
2020#6,32518—
2019#4,90927—
2018#4,35732—
2017#4,38432—
2016#4,99027—
2015#4,48831—
2014#5,02527—
2013#5,64423—
2012#4,21635—
2011#4,35333—
2010#4,60831—
2009#4,10737—
2008#4,17937—
2007#3,98339—
2006#3,99237—
2005#3,25747—
2004#3,81937—
2003#2,95651—
2002#3,39440—
2001#2,96348—
2000#3,45338—
1999#3,44336—
1998#5,58318—
1997#6,84413—
1996#4,88320—
1995#5,01919—
1994#5,44517—
1993#5,41917—
1992#5,48417—
1991#6,97612—
1990#6,13114—
1989#4,35821—
1988#4,49619—
1987#6,78810—
1986#5,45913—
1985#3,73022—
1984#3,14427—
1983#3,94919—
1982#3,53023—
1981#3,85920—
1980#3,60922—
1979#3,14726—
1978#2,68031—
1977#3,26723—
1976#2,43933—
1975#2,61229—
1974#2,25435—
1973#2,30933—
1972#1,97541—
1971#1,93744—
1970#2,26734—
1969#1,78447—
1968#1,62550—
1967#1,61749—
1966#1,63247—
1965#1,35066—
1964#1,43362—
1963#1,26276—
1962#1,28374—
1961#1,30572—
1960#1,020111—
1959#1,13089—
1958#1,000108—
1957#1,07294#3,0248
1956#1,007103—
1955#978104—
1954#897114—
1953#809129—
1952#791130—
1951#794125#3,3646
1950#717143#3,3296
1949#683150#2,8028
1948#661159#3,0107
1947#643167#3,7335
1946#624162—
1945#547179#3,3385
1944#576162#1,98813
1943#517208—
1942#495226#2,7128
1941#501193#1,99713
1940#470204#2,6718
1939#469204#2,28810
1938#428244#2,18511
1937#436225#1,75616
1936#396258#2,30110
1935#393267#2,5299
1934#375285#2,39310
1933#369297#2,5429
1932#373299#2,8498
1931#339352#2,8648
1930#345362#2,7819
1929#341360#2,31712
1928#321424#1,82218
1927#308465#1,79619
1926#313449#1,60522
1925#301487#1,93517
1924#290522#2,22914
1923#289494#1,87418
1922#268579#2,34713
1921#271610#1,90418
1920#266600#1,74720
1919#262594#2,06315
1918#249659#2,07315
1917#256580#2,7329
1916#246622#1,45923
1915#245575#2,18412
1914#242484#2,10110
1913#245388#1,49713
1912#233375#1,52711
1911#248252#1,5376
1910#234273—
1909#227248—
1908#234208—
1907#219228—
1906#227193—
1905#243171#1,2335
1904#248160—
1903#235162—
1902#210199—
1901#209189—
1900#235182—
1899#238136—
1898#221172—
1897#218156—
1896#219160#9826
1895#234137—
1894#237127—
1893#230129—
1892#248112—
1891#223118—
1890#234108—
1889#23598—
1888#23497—
1887#24673—
1886#22282—
1885#22776—
1884#25359—
1883#27442—
1882#25047—
1881#24741—
1880#29428—
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Elma was already there! It came in at #294, and was given to 28 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1986–1987, when fewer than 14 girls a year got the name.

Where Elma is popular in 1881

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Elma
Momentum · girls
Rising
  • 208 spots since 2024 (#4,560 → #4,352)
  • 1,973 spots since 2020 (#6,325 → #4,352)
  • 136 spots since 2015 (#4,488 → #4,352)
  • Biggest jump: 72 spots in 1958 (#1,072 → #1,000)
  • Biggest drop: 130 spots in 1959 (#1,000 → #1,130)
Rise & fade · girls
21 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1901 at #209 (189 births)
  • Births halved by 1957, 56 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 77 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 77 yrs · run 1880–1955
Share of babies · girls
1 in 1,266
  • Highest: 1 in 1,266 girls born in 1901 were named Elma (0.08%)
  • Latest: 1 in 50,227 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 23.0% of all girls named Elma (4,990) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s643#222 (1886)#248
1890s1,355#218 (1897)#230
1900s1,940#209 (1901)#229
1910s4,802#233 (1912)#246
1920s4,990#266 (1920)#297
1930s2,793#339 (1931)#392
1940s1,810#470 (1940)#572
1950s1,139#717 (1950)#920
1960s654#1,020 (1960)#1,431
1970s329#1,937 (1971)#2,489
1980s196#3,144 (1984)#4,292
1990s183#3,443 (1999)#5,523
2000s411#2,956 (2003)#3,610
2010s298#4,216 (2012)#4,697
2020s160#4,326 (2021)#5,021

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Elma in 1881

girls
#247
41 births · 1 in 2,243 girls

Top girls' names in 1881

  1. #1Mary6,919
  2. #2Anna2,698
  3. #3Emma2,034
  4. #4Elizabeth1,852
  5. #5Margaret1,658
  6. #6Minnie1,653
  7. #7Ida1,439
  8. #8Annie1,326
  9. #9Bertha1,324
  10. #10Alice1,308
  11. #247Elma41
More about 1881

girls

91,953 girls got a published name in 1881; 1 in 2,243 of them was named Elma, which outranked 73.7% of the 938 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elma
  1. #244Dessie42
  2. #244Lila42
  3. #244Violet42
  4. #247Elma41
  5. #247Madge41
  6. #247Regina41
  7. #247Roberta41
  8. #251Catharine40
  9. #251Eugenia40
  10. #251Gladys40

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1880
Risers
  1. ↑ 431Isa#836 → #405
  2. ↑ 389Opal#836 → #447
  3. ↑ 345Natalie#836 → #491
  4. ↑ 304Arvilla#738 → #434
  5. ↑ 304Lauretta#738 → #434
Fallers
  1. ↓ 381Avis#449 → #830
  2. ↓ 365Clementine#375 → #740
  3. ↓ 364Eleanore#466 → #830
  4. ↓ 364Lonnie#466 → #830
  5. ↓ 319Luvenia#421 → #740

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1881 →