# Elmer (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/elmer/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname transferred from the given name.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 6,119 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,671 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 50,457 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.8% (5,896 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛlmɚ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

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

## Who carries it

Share of people named Elmer in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 92% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 1.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9% |
| Two or more races | 1.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Elmer in the United States and Australia.

## People named Elmer

- Jonathan Elmer, American politician (1745-1817)
- James Elmer, Australian field hockey player
- William Elmer, American actor (1869-1945)
- Adolph Daniel Edward Elmer, American botanist (1870-1942)
- Charles Elmer, American entrepreneur, court stenographer, and amateur astronomer (1872–1954)

## Similar surnames

Elmore.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.