How Many People Are Named Elmer?
An estimated 29,539 people in the United States have the first name Elmer. It is predominantly male (98.7%). The average bearer is 62 years old, and Elmer peaked in popularity in 1918 with 4,416 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Elmer as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Elmer paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Elmer is overwhelmingly male, 1,753 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Elmer has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
29,539
About 1 in 11,603 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
98.7% confidence
Average Age
62
years old
Peak Year
1918
4,416 births
Total Registered
131,169
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Elmer
Elmer is predominantly male (98.7%), though 1,753 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Elmer as a male name
Ranked #1,166 in 2024
178 male births in 2024
Peak: 1918 (4,373 births)
Elmer as a female name
Ranked #10,848 in 1980
5 female births in 1980
Peak: 1928 (67 births)
Elmer: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Elmer span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 35,449 babies were registered. Elmer has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Elmer by Decade
How has Elmer tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,642 | 4,627 | 15 | |
| 1890s | 5,741 | 5,647 | 94 | |
| 1900s | 6,309 | 6,161 | 148 | |
| 1910s | 28,957 | 28,600 | 357 | |
| 1920s | 35,449 | 34,919 | 530 | |
| 1930s | 17,685 | 17,370 | 315 | |
| 1940s | 11,034 | 10,879 | 155 | |
| 1950s | 6,974 | 6,881 | 93 | |
| 1960s | 3,869 | 3,833 | 36 | |
| 1970s | 2,142 | 2,137 | 5 | |
| 1980s | 1,572 | 1,567 | 5 | |
| 1990s | 2,104 | 2,104 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 2,269 | 2,269 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 1,638 | 1,638 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 784 | 784 | 0 | |
Elmer by State
Birth registrations for Elmer span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio. The lowest are in Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii. On average, about 2,141 Elmers were registered per state.
Elmer + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Elmer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Elmer
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
Elmer: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elmer?
We estimate approximately 29,539 people named Elmer are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 11,603 Americans share this first name.
Is Elmer a common name?
Elmer is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 131,169 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Elmer most popular?
Elmer reached peak popularity in 1918, when 4,416 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Elmer is approximately 62 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Elmer a male name?
Elmer is predominantly male. 98.7% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Elmer Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Elmer Smith, Elmer Johnson, Elmer Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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