Elmo

Last seen for girls in 1937 at #4,255 · Last seen for boys in 2023 at #12,239
Given to boys 97.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1909 · 80 births
Debut · boys
15 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
10,091
since 1880

Elmo over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Elmo has never cracked the top 200 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201920peak #247, 1909boys
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——
2024——
2023—#12,2395
2022——
2021—#10,7996
2020——
2019——
2018——
2017——
2016——
2015——
2014——
2013—#12,1365
2012——
2011——
2010——
2009—#12,4915
2008——
2007——
2006——
2005——
2004——
2003—#8,6437
2002——
2001—#6,01311
2000——
1999—#8,7046
1998—#7,5607
1997—#6,6188
1996—#7,1367
1995——
1994—#3,59618
1993—#6,2288
1992—#5,6609
1991—#4,47612
1990—#4,99310
1989—#6,9416
1988—#3,52314
1987—#3,33914
1986—#3,26814
1985—#3,59912
1984—#2,95615
1983—#2,57718
1982—#3,28213
1981—#2,77916
1980—#4,1349
1979—#2,89715
1978—#2,79915
1977—#2,55617
1976—#1,82827
1975—#2,20520
1974—#2,27718
1973—#2,12419
1972—#1,64828
1971—#2,12619
1970—#1,79424
1969—#1,35135
1968—#1,50627
1967—#1,36431
1966—#1,40130
1965—#1,45628
1964—#1,12646
1963—#1,25538
1962—#1,21541
1961—#1,07852
1960—#1,13148
1959—#99360
1958—#1,04953
1957—#92866
1956—#94063
1955—#87471
1954—#80081
1953—#85870
1952—#87065
1951—#74986
1950—#78476
1949—#81471
1948—#68894
1947—#692100
1946—#64899
1945—#68478
1944—#569116
1943—#576121
1942—#550125
1941—#559115
1940—#582103
1939—#537113
1938—#495137
1937#4,2555#508128
1936#3,7016#469144
1935—#466148
1934—#487138
1933#4,2185#450150
1932—#448158
1931—#491137
1930—#433183
1929#2,92110#453170
1928#4,1956#383235
1927—#387235
1926#3,04610#374243
1925#2,19117#356273
1924#3,3939#328313
1923#3,3509#311338
1922#2,61213#323317
1921#3,16410#293370
1920#2,73112#279397
1919#2,51513#304324
1918#2,82211#301334
1917#1,92318#265366
1916#1,80519#261363
1915#2,38412#301286
1914#2,8767#282247
1913#1,46516#277197
1912#1,54013#271169
1911#1,7928#251104
1910#2,3985#26386
1909#1,7637#24780
1908—#30751
1907—#27358
1906#1,7276#28150
1905—#41027
1904—#40127
1903—#37027
1902—#38027
1901—#33429
1900—#34340
1899—#41520
1898—#33932
1897—#41121
1896—#40723
1895—#36826
1894—#59412
1893—#45916
1892—#54714
1891—#45615
1890—#56612
1889—#52513
1888—#46417
1887—#6798
1886—#54012
1885—#49814
1884—#54712
1883—#44816
1882—#41619
1881—#5959
1880—#46515
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Elmo was already there! It came in at #465, and was given to 15 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1995, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

Where Elmo is popular in 1920

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedAKMaine: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedNHWashington: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedWAIdaho: #131 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 574 boysIDMontana: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: #210 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 1,323 boysNDMinnesota: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedMNIllinois: #313 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 4,107 boysILWisconsin: #327 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 4,530 boysWIMichigan: #385 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 5,623 boysMINew York: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedNYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedRIOregon: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedSDIowa: #335 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 4,183 boysIAIndiana: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedINOhio: #388 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 7,038 boysOHPennsylvania: #492 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 14,144 boysPANew Jersey: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #163 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 1,182 boysCAUtah: #126 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 468 boysUTColorado: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedCONebraska: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedNEMissouri: #223 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 1,741 boysMOKentucky: #150 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 996 boysKYWest Virginia: #209 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 1,521 boysWVVirginia: #183 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 1,330 boysVAMaryland: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedDEArizona: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: #143 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 612 boysNMKansas: #219 for boys · 9 births · 1 in 1,762 boysKSArkansas: #219 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 1,346 boysARTennessee: #227 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 1,809 boysTNNorth Carolina: #260 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 2,345 boysNCSouth Carolina: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #163 for boys · 24 births · 1 in 906 boysOKLouisiana: #150 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 812 boysLAMississippi: #229 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 1,606 boysMSAlabama: #269 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 2,134 boysALGeorgia: #213 for boys · 19 births · 1 in 1,687 boysGAHawaii: fewer than 5 boys named Elmo, so not publishedHITexas: #195 for boys · 49 births · 1 in 1,037 boysTXFlorida: #162 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 966 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Utah#126 · 1 in 468
  2. Idaho#131 · 1 in 574
  3. New Mexico#143 · 1 in 612
  4. Louisiana#150 · 1 in 812
  5. Kentucky#150 · 1 in 996

Best ever in a state: #63 in Utah, 1913.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Utah#126101 in 468
Idaho#13171 in 574
New Mexico#14361 in 612
Kentucky#150251 in 996
Louisiana#150231 in 812
Florida#162101 in 966
California#163221 in 1,182
Oklahoma#163241 in 906
Virginia#183181 in 1,330
Texas#195491 in 1,037
West Virginia#209101 in 1,521
North Dakota#21051 in 1,323
Georgia#213191 in 1,687
Arkansas#219131 in 1,346
Kansas#21991 in 1,762
Missouri#223161 in 1,741
Tennessee#227131 in 1,809
Mississippi#229121 in 1,606
North Carolina#260141 in 2,345
Alabama#269121 in 2,134
Illinois#313131 in 4,107
Wisconsin#32751 in 4,530
Iowa#33551 in 4,183
Michigan#38561 in 5,623
Ohio#38871 in 7,038
Pennsylvania#49261 in 14,144
Alaska———
Arizona———
Colorado———
Connecticut———
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Hawaii———
Indiana———
Maine———
Maryland———
Massachusetts———
Minnesota———
Montana———
Nebraska———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
New Jersey———
New York———
Oregon———
Rhode Island———
South Carolina———
South Dakota———
Vermont———
Washington———
Wyoming———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Elmo
Momentum · boys
Faded out
  • Not published in 2025; last seen 2023
  • Biggest jump: 226 spots in 1895 (#594 → #368)
  • Biggest drop: 139 spots in 1887 (#540 → #679)
Rise & fade · boys
29 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1909 at #247 (80 births)
  • Births halved by 1963, 54 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 79 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 79 yrs · run 1880–1957
Share of babies · boys
1 in 2,050
  • Highest: 1 in 2,050 boys born in 1909 were named Elmo (0.05%)
  • Latest: 1 in 342,115 boys born in 2023 (0.00%)
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 28.6% of all boys named Elmo (2,891) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s135#416 (1882)#518
1890s191#339 (1898)#456
1900s416#247 (1909)#335
1910s2,476#251 (1911)#278
1920s2,891#279 (1920)#349
1930s1,436#433 (1930)#478
1940s1,022#550 (1942)#636
1950s691#749 (1951)#885
1960s376#1,078 (1961)#1,288
1970s202#1,648 (1972)#2,225
1980s131#2,577 (1983)#3,640
1990s85#3,596 (1994)#6,108
2000s23#6,013 (2001)#9,049
2010s5#12,136 (2013)#12,136
2020s11#10,799 (2021)#11,519

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.

Elmo in 1920

girls
#2,731
12 births · 1 in 99,857 girls
boys
#279
397 births · 1 in 2,681 boys

Top girls' names in 1920

  1. #1Mary70,983
  2. #2Dorothy36,643
  3. #3Helen35,097
  4. #4Margaret27,994
  5. #5Ruth26,102
  6. #6Mildred18,060
  7. #7Virginia17,314
  8. #8Elizabeth15,908
  9. #9Frances15,883
  10. #10Anna14,581
  11. #2,731Elmo12

Top boys' names in 1920

  1. #1John56,913
  2. #2William50,146
  3. #3Robert48,679
  4. #4James47,908
  5. #5Charles28,309
  6. #6George26,891
  7. #7Joseph25,587
  8. #8Edward20,097
  9. #9Frank16,430
  10. #10Richard15,010
  11. #279Elmo397
More about 1920

girls

1,198,289 girls got a published name in 1920; 1 in 99,857 of them was named Elmo, which outranked 52.6% of the 5,767 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elmo
  1. #2,590Wynelle13
  2. #2,590Zela13
  3. #2,590Zulema13
  4. #2,731Elmo12
  5. #2,731Adelyne12
  6. #2,731Aldonia12
  7. #2,731Alfreida12
  8. #2,899Ailie11
  9. #2,899Alee11
  10. #2,899Aletta11

Tied with 167 names at #2,731; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1919
Risers
  1. ↑ 550Denise#1,481 → #931
  2. ↑ 321Blossom#1,242 → #921
  3. ↑ 311Lilia#1,242 → #931
  4. ↑ 302Ena#1,270 → #968
  5. ↑ 277Lorayne#1,216 → #939
Fallers
  1. ↓ 594Haruko#917 → #1,511
  2. ↓ 511Roselle#1,000 → #1,511
  3. ↓ 345Toshiko#967 → #1,312
  4. ↓ 304Carroll#902 → #1,206
  5. ↓ 297Santina#835 → #1,132

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

boys

1,064,356 boys got a published name in 1920; 1 in 2,681 of them was named Elmo, which outranked 94.4% of the 4,989 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elmo
  1. #275Mario408
  2. #277Harrison407
  3. #278Garland403
  4. #279Elmo397
  5. #280Doyle395
  6. #281Elton394
  7. #282Grant391
Biggest movers since 1919
Risers
  1. ↑ 960Harding#1,351 → #391
  2. ↑ 607Cameron#1,351 → #744
  3. ↑ 566Hardin#1,531 → #965
  4. ↑ 392Laurel#1,321 → #929
  5. ↑ 368Terrence#1,297 → #929
Fallers
  1. ↓ 789Pershing#593 → #1,382
  2. ↓ 580Woodroe#877 → #1,457
  3. ↓ 385Quinten#867 → #1,252
  4. ↓ 383Orvel#890 → #1,273
  5. ↓ 373Rexford#927 → #1,300

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

See the top 100 for 1920 →