Meaning not yet researched.
Elmer: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 165 in 2025. Its best rank was #32 in 1893.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #32 in 1893; #1,223 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Elmer in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,223 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1893, at #32.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Elmer: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 165 boys in 2025. Peak: #32 in 1893 · most boys in one year: 4,373 (1918).
In 2025, 165 US boys were named Elmer, making it the 1,223rd most common boys’ name of the year, down 67 places from #1,156 in 2024. That is 16 fewer than the 181 boys named Elmer in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #32, reached in 1893. The most boys given the name in a single year was 4,373, in 1918. For comparison, it was #1,206 in 2015 and #226 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Elmer in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 373 babies with the name. In all, 131,344 US babies have been given the name, 1.3% of them girls and 99% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1920s, with 35,449 babies named Elmer.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 1,592 US boys were named Elmer; the busiest of those years was 2024, with 181. In 2025 that was about 1 in 10,352 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Elmer ranked highest in Pennsylvania in 2025, at #403 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Elmo (10,338 babies since 1880), Delmer (7,670 babies since 1880) and Elmore (3,967 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Almer, Elmar and Elmire are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Almer (881), Elmar (314), Elmire (213), Elmor (64), Elmir (22).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Elmer in the open dataset we use.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 41 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 26 | #403 | #462 |
| Indiana | 13 | #521 | — |
| Kansas | 5 | #621 | — |
| Missouri | 6 | #810 | — |
| Michigan | 8 | #859 | — |
| Ohio | 6 | #1,147 | — |
| Texas | 17 | #1,227 | #981 |
| California | 14 | #1,317 | #1,095 |
| New York | 6 | #1,625 | #1,092 |
| Florida | 6 | #1,687 | — |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 165 | #1,223 |
| 2024 | — | — | 181 | #1,156 |
| 2023 | — | — | 140 | #1,351 |
| 2022 | — | — | 168 | #1,192 |
| 2021 | — | — | 160 | #1,209 |
| 2020 | — | — | 138 | #1,310 |
| 2019 | — | — | 175 | #1,120 |
| 2018 | — | — | 145 | #1,266 |
| 2017 | — | — | 151 | #1,217 |
| 2016 | — | — | 169 | #1,143 |
| 2015 | — | — | 153 | #1,206 |
| 2014 | — | — | 169 | #1,130 |
| 2013 | — | — | 158 | #1,147 |
| 2012 | — | — | 143 | #1,237 |
| 2011 | — | — | 181 | #1,047 |
| 2010 | — | — | 195 | #1,007 |
| 2009 | — | — | 227 | #910 |
| 2008 | — | — | 182 | #1,042 |
| 2007 | — | — | 244 | #857 |
| 2006 | — | — | 221 | #890 |
| 2005 | — | — | 227 | #826 |
| 2004 | — | — | 214 | #833 |
| 2003 | — | — | 307 | #650 |
| 2002 | — | — | 227 | #760 |
| 2001 | — | — | 237 | #735 |
| 2000 | — | — | 188 | #850 |
| 1999 | — | — | 178 | #852 |
| 1998 | — | — | 215 | #749 |
| 1997 | — | — | 222 | #712 |
| 1996 | — | — | 225 | #704 |
| 1995 | — | — | 212 | #738 |
| 1994 | — | — | 186 | #773 |
| 1993 | — | — | 205 | #725 |
| 1992 | — | — | 236 | #675 |
| 1991 | — | — | 210 | #699 |
| 1990 | — | — | 215 | #691 |
| 1989 | — | — | 167 | #769 |
| 1988 | — | — | 168 | #728 |
| 1987 | — | — | 160 | #724 |
| 1986 | — | — | 149 | #744 |
| 1985 | — | — | 140 | #754 |
| 1984 | — | — | 163 | #677 |
| 1983 | — | — | 150 | #699 |
| 1982 | — | — | 151 | #708 |
| 1981 | — | — | 157 | #690 |
| 1980 | 5 | #10,846 | 162 | #681 |
| 1979 | — | — | 191 | #621 |
| 1978 | — | — | 166 | #651 |
| 1977 | — | — | 176 | #641 |
| 1976 | — | — | 184 | #598 |
| 1975 | 5 | #9,488 | 187 | #590 |
| 1974 | — | — | 222 | #538 |
| 1973 | — | — | 209 | #539 |
| 1972 | — | — | 245 | #504 |
| 1971 | — | — | 271 | #486 |
| 1970 | — | — | 286 | #476 |
| 1969 | — | — | 300 | #450 |
| 1968 | — | — | 307 | #435 |
| 1967 | 6 | #6,247 | 306 | #434 |
| 1966 | 5 | #6,864 | 319 | #427 |
| 1965 | — | — | 376 | #405 |
| 1964 | 6 | #6,224 | 389 | #408 |
| 1963 | 5 | #6,893 | 409 | #398 |
| 1962 | 5 | #6,856 | 434 | #386 |
| 1961 | — | — | 478 | #364 |
| 1960 | 9 | #4,550 | 515 | #342 |
| 1959 | 9 | #4,394 | 529 | #337 |
| 1958 | 10 | #4,017 | 549 | #329 |
| 1957 | 8 | #4,645 | 660 | #289 |
| 1956 | 6 | #5,475 | 656 | #286 |
| 1955 | 7 | #4,865 | 714 | #261 |
| 1954 | 7 | #4,802 | 673 | #271 |
| 1953 | 9 | #4,029 | 688 | #265 |
| 1952 | 12 | #3,248 | 761 | #245 |
| 1951 | 13 | #2,986 | 842 | #226 |
| 1950 | 12 | #3,110 | 809 | #226 |
| 1949 | 20 | #2,232 | 866 | #215 |
| 1948 | 16 | #2,521 | 971 | #203 |
| 1947 | 13 | #2,941 | 997 | #201 |
| 1946 | 11 | #3,089 | 1,046 | #178 |
| 1945 | 15 | #2,266 | 969 | #169 |
| 1944 | 18 | #2,050 | 1,069 | #164 |
| 1943 | 15 | #2,370 | 1,311 | #154 |
| 1942 | 18 | #2,068 | 1,228 | #158 |
| 1941 | 16 | #2,120 | 1,202 | #147 |
| 1940 | 13 | #2,336 | 1,220 | #144 |
| 1939 | 25 | #1,522 | 1,327 | #132 |
| 1938 | 22 | #1,664 | 1,332 | #130 |
| 1937 | 25 | #1,507 | 1,413 | #120 |
| 1936 | 36 | #1,191 | 1,412 | #121 |
| 1935 | 28 | #1,389 | 1,592 | #115 |
| 1934 | 36 | #1,192 | 1,709 | #108 |
| 1933 | 29 | #1,334 | 1,787 | #101 |
| 1932 | 35 | #1,222 | 2,058 | #94 |
| 1931 | 36 | #1,203 | 2,265 | #82 |
| 1930 | 43 | #1,132 | 2,476 | #80 |
| 1929 | 51 | #1,019 | 2,697 | #70 |
| 1928 | 67 | #897 | 2,977 | #63 |
| 1927 | 54 | #1,045 | 3,205 | #61 |
| 1926 | 60 | #965 | 3,233 | #61 |
| 1925 | 51 | #1,066 | 3,356 | #61 |
| 1924 | 48 | #1,128 | 3,731 | #57 |
| 1923 | 44 | #1,161 | 3,630 | #57 |
| 1922 | 51 | #1,065 | 3,738 | #54 |
| 1921 | 56 | #1,007 | 4,146 | #48 |
| 1920 | 48 | #1,077 | 4,206 | #45 |
| 1919 | 53 | #989 | 3,982 | #44 |
| 1918 | 43 | #1,133 | 4,373 | #44 |
| 1917 | 48 | #1,019 | 3,812 | #45 |
| 1916 | 43 | #1,068 | 3,936 | #45 |
| 1915 | 44 | #1,003 | 3,802 | #45 |
| 1914 | 29 | #1,131 | 2,878 | #46 |
| 1913 | 31 | #965 | 2,323 | #45 |
| 1912 | 27 | #982 | 1,840 | #47 |
| 1911 | 22 | #938 | 894 | #48 |
| 1910 | 17 | #1,083 | 760 | #48 |
| 1909 | 28 | #766 | 687 | #45 |
| 1908 | 22 | #836 | 689 | #42 |
| 1907 | 9 | #1,429 | 616 | #45 |
| 1906 | 10 | #1,248 | 598 | #42 |
| 1905 | 21 | #804 | 602 | #41 |
| 1904 | 11 | #1,117 | 620 | #39 |
| 1903 | 12 | #1,047 | 556 | #40 |
| 1902 | 8 | #1,355 | 574 | #40 |
| 1901 | 9 | #1,160 | 520 | #38 |
| 1900 | 18 | #893 | 699 | #38 |
| 1899 | 6 | #1,462 | 514 | #37 |
| 1898 | 13 | #978 | 583 | #40 |
| 1897 | 8 | #1,192 | 587 | #34 |
| 1896 | 10 | #1,066 | 576 | #36 |
| 1895 | 5 | #1,668 | 610 | #34 |
| 1894 | 12 | #918 | 575 | #37 |
| 1893 | 12 | #873 | 574 | #32 |
| 1892 | 11 | #922 | 592 | #36 |
| 1891 | 8 | #1,033 | 508 | #36 |
| 1890 | 9 | #958 | 528 | #38 |
| 1889 | 6 | #1,182 | 557 | #34 |
| 1888 | — | — | 527 | #39 |
| 1887 | — | — | 467 | #36 |
| 1886 | — | — | 485 | #35 |
| 1885 | 9 | #757 | 443 | #40 |
| 1884 | — | — | 523 | #35 |
| 1883 | — | — | 423 | #40 |
| 1882 | — | — | 441 | #38 |
| 1881 | — | — | 388 | #38 |
| 1880 | — | — | 373 | #41 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).