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Boy · Old English
Elmer
Say it: EL-mer
Meaning
From an English surname derived from Old English Æthelmær, æthel 'noble' and mær 'famous'.
Likelythe main view, with some doubt.
Popular in 19th-century America, notably after Ellsworth's death in 1861.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1880s
In the United States
- 130,489 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1884, about 1 in 219 boys
- 134 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
Famous bearers
- Elmer Ellsworth, Union officer
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.