Elmer

Last seen for girls in 1980 at #10,392 · #1,222 for boys in 2025, 165 births
Given to boys 98.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1893 · 574 births
Debut · boys
373 births
In top 100 · boys
53 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
129,591
since 1880

Elmer over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201885peak #32, 1893boys
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—#1,222165
2024—#1,155181
2023—#1,346140
2022—#1,191168
2021—#1,207160
2020—#1,308138
2019—#1,118175
2018—#1,261145
2017—#1,213151
2016—#1,141169
2015—#1,205153
2014—#1,130169
2013—#1,144158
2012—#1,237143
2011—#1,046181
2010—#1,005195
2009—#909227
2008—#1,041182
2007—#857244
2006—#889221
2005—#826227
2004—#832214
2003—#649307
2002—#760227
2001—#734237
2000—#850188
1999—#850178
1998—#749215
1997—#711222
1996—#704225
1995—#738212
1994—#772186
1993—#725205
1992—#675236
1991—#699210
1990—#691215
1989—#767167
1988—#727168
1987—#724160
1986—#744149
1985—#752140
1984—#677163
1983—#698150
1982—#708151
1981—#689157
1980#10,3925#681162
1979—#618191
1978—#651166
1977—#639176
1976—#598184
1975#9,0675#590187
1974—#537222
1973—#539209
1972—#502245
1971—#486271
1970—#476286
1969—#450300
1968—#435307
1967#6,0426#434306
1966#6,5645#426319
1965—#405376
1964#6,0096#407389
1963#6,5925#398409
1962#6,5785#385434
1961—#363478
1960#4,4379#342515
1959#4,3009#337529
1958#3,92510#329549
1957#4,5368#289660
1956#5,3256#286656
1955#4,7407#261714
1954#4,6557#271673
1953#3,9559#265688
1952#3,20112#245761
1951#2,93713#226842
1950#3,05212#226809
1949#2,21220#215866
1948#2,49116#203971
1947#2,89813#201997
1946#3,03411#1781,046
1945#2,23715#169969
1944#2,02718#1641,069
1943#2,35215#1541,311
1942#2,04618#1581,228
1941#2,09616#1471,202
1940#2,29713#1441,220
1939#1,51425#1321,327
1938#1,65022#1301,332
1937#1,49325#1201,413
1936#1,18636#1211,412
1935#1,38128#1151,592
1934#1,19036#1081,709
1933#1,33029#1011,787
1932#1,21335#942,058
1931#1,19936#822,265
1930#1,12843#802,476
1929#1,01551#702,697
1928#89667#632,977
1927#1,04254#613,205
1926#96360#613,233
1925#1,06451#613,356
1924#1,12348#573,731
1923#1,15844#573,630
1922#1,05951#543,738
1921#1,00356#484,146
1920#1,07448#454,206
1919#98453#443,982
1918#1,12643#444,373
1917#1,01348#453,812
1916#1,05943#453,936
1915#1,00044#453,802
1914#1,11929#462,878
1913#96131#452,323
1912#97827#471,840
1911#93222#48894
1910#1,06917#48760
1909#76128#45687
1908#82922#42689
1907#1,3849#44616
1906#1,22910#42598
1905#79721#41602
1904#1,09211#39620
1903#1,02712#40556
1902#1,3208#40574
1901#1,1369#38520
1900#88518#38699
1899#1,3946#37514
1898#96313#40583
1897#1,1678#34587
1896#1,04710#36576
1895#1,5925#34610
1894#90512#37575
1893#86512#32574
1892#90811#36592
1891#1,0068#36508
1890#9409#38528
1889#1,1476#34557
1888—#39527
1887—#36467
1886—#35485
1885#7459#40443
1884—#35523
1883—#40423
1882—#38441
1881—#38388
1880—#41373
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Elmer was already there! It came in at #41, and was given to 373 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2010–2025, when fewer than 200 boys a year got the name.

Where Elmer is popular in 1885

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Elmer
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 67 spots since 2024 (#1,155 → #1,222)
  • 86 spots since 2020 (#1,308 → #1,222)
  • 17 spots since 2015 (#1,205 → #1,222)
  • Biggest jump: 132 spots in 2009 (#1,041 → #909)
  • Biggest drop: 184 spots in 2008 (#857 → #1,041)
Rise & fade · boys
13 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1893 at #32 (574 births)
  • Births halved by 1970, 77 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 53 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 53 yrs · run 1880–1932
  • Top 1,000: 129 yrs · run 1880–2007
Share of babies · boys
1 in 192
  • Highest: 1 in 192 boys born in 1897 were named Elmer (0.52%)
  • Latest: 1 in 10,352 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
  • Its best rank, #32 in 1893, was only 1 in 196 (0.51%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 26.9% of all boys named Elmer (34,919) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s4,627#34 (1889)#38
1890s5,647#32 (1893)#36
1900s6,161#38 (1900)#41
1910s28,600#44 (1918)#46
1920s34,919#45 (1920)#58
1930s17,371#80 (1930)#108
1940s10,879#144 (1940)#173
1950s6,881#226 (1951)#274
1960s3,833#342 (1960)#405
1970s2,137#476 (1970)#564
1980s1,567#677 (1984)#717
1990s2,104#675 (1992)#731
2000s2,274#649 (2003)#835
2010s1,639#1,005 (2010)#1,150
2020s952#1,155 (2024)#1,238

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

Elmer in 1885

girls
#745
9 births · 1 in 14,784 girls
boys
#40
443 births · 1 in 243 boys

Top girls' names in 1885

  1. #1Mary9,128
  2. #2Anna3,994
  3. #3Emma2,728
  4. #4Elizabeth2,582
  5. #5Margaret2,204
  6. #6Minnie2,178
  7. #7Clara1,910
  8. #8Bertha1,860
  9. #9Ida1,854
  10. #10Annie1,703
  11. #745Elmer9

Top boys' names in 1885

  1. #1John8,756
  2. #2William8,044
  3. #3James5,175
  4. #4George4,674
  5. #5Charles4,599
  6. #6Frank3,067
  7. #7Joseph2,540
  8. #8Henry2,406
  9. #9Robert2,322
  10. #10Thomas2,266
  11. #40Elmer443
More about 1885

girls

133,055 girls got a published name in 1885; 1 in 14,784 of them was named Elmer, which outranked 37.8% of the 1,197 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elmer
  1. #695Ula10
  2. #695Valentine10
  3. #695Wilda10
  4. #745Elmer9
  5. #745Abigail9
  6. #745Aggie9
  7. #745Annabell9
  8. #793Aletha8
  9. #793Alicia8
  10. #793Calla8

Tied with 47 names at #745; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1884
Risers
  1. ↑ 467Lonnie#1,024 → #557
  2. ↑ 430Theodora#930 → #500
  3. ↑ 395Malissie#1,024 → #629
  4. ↑ 366Arabella#1,024 → #658
  5. ↑ 366Bina#1,024 → #658
Fallers
  1. ↓ 458Sina#463 → #921
  2. ↓ 433Carlotta#614 → #1,047
  3. ↓ 433Felicia#614 → #1,047
  4. ↓ 433Fronie#614 → #1,047
  5. ↓ 433Paulina#614 → #1,047

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

boys

107,799 boys got a published name in 1885; 1 in 243 of them was named Elmer, which outranked 96.4% of the 1,097 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 40.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elmer
  1. #37Frederick466
  2. #38Benjamin464
  3. #39Alfred446
  4. #40Elmer443
  5. #41Howard438
  6. #42Lewis437
  7. #43Paul428
Biggest movers since 1884
Risers
  1. ↑ 426Bryant#848 → #422
  2. ↑ 424Butler#971 → #547
  3. ↑ 424Cyril#971 → #547
  4. ↑ 409Gerhard#848 → #439
  5. ↑ 394Rowland#971 → #577
Fallers
  1. ↓ 520Clarance#416 → #936
  2. ↓ 416Oswald#520 → #936
  3. ↓ 389Doctor#547 → #936
  4. ↓ 366Dexter#570 → #936
  5. ↓ 366Gustaf#570 → #936

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

See the top 100 for 1885 →