# Elmer (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/elmer/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “noble”, “famous” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛlmɚ/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 131,344 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 129,591 / 1,753 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 21, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Medieval variant of the given name Aylmer, from Old English Æþelmǣr, from æþel (“noble”) + mǣre (“famous”).

## What it means

Elmer is grouped under famous and noble.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 9 | 4,029 |
| 1954 | 7 | 4,802 |
| 1955 | 7 | 4,865 |
| 1956 | 6 | 5,475 |
| 1957 | 8 | 4,645 |
| 1958 | 10 | 4,017 |
| 1959 | 9 | 4,394 |
| 1960 | 9 | 4,550 |
| 1962 | 5 | 6,856 |
| 1963 | 5 | 6,893 |
| 1964 | 6 | 6,224 |
| 1966 | 5 | 6,864 |
| 1967 | 6 | 6,247 |
| 1975 | 5 | 9,488 |
| 1980 | 5 | 10,846 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 181 | 1,047 |
| 2012 | 143 | 1,237 |
| 2013 | 158 | 1,147 |
| 2014 | 169 | 1,130 |
| 2015 | 153 | 1,206 |
| 2016 | 169 | 1,143 |
| 2017 | 151 | 1,217 |
| 2018 | 145 | 1,266 |
| 2019 | 175 | 1,120 |
| 2020 | 138 | 1,310 |
| 2021 | 160 | 1,209 |
| 2022 | 168 | 1,192 |
| 2023 | 140 | 1,351 |
| 2024 | 181 | 1,156 |
| 2025 | 165 | 1,223 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 3 | 3,651 |
| 2009 | 3 | 4,527 |
| 2014 | 3 | 4,632 |
| 2020 | 4 | 3,848 |
| 2022 | 3 | 4,789 |
| 2024 | 5 | 3,688 |

## In other languages

- Danish: Elmer
- Dutch: Aalmar
- Finnish: Elmeri, Elmer
- German: Elmar
- Greek: Έλμερος
- Latvian: Elmārs
- Swedish: Elmer

## People named Elmer

- Elmer Bernstein, American composer and conductor (1922-2004)
- Elmer Rice, American playwright (1892–1967)
- Elmer Niklander, athletics competitor (1890–1942)
- Elmer McCollum, American biochemist (1879-1967)
- Elmer Clifton, American film director (1890–1949)
- Elmer Ambrose Sperry, American mechanical engineer (1860–1930)
- Elmer Diktonius, Finnish poet (1896-1961)
- Elmer Bennett, American basketball player (born 1970)
- Elmer Lach, Canadian ice hockey player (1918–2015)
- Elmer Booth, American actor (1882-1915)
- Harry Elmer Barnes, American historian and holocaust denier (1889–1968)
- Daniel Elmer Salmon, American veterinarian (1850-1914)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.