Dalmer
Name of unknown origin, potentially a variation of the Germanic name Dallmar.
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Dalmer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Dalmer today is around 91 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Dalmer births was 1919 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Dalmer. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Dalmer is about 91 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Dalmers were born before 1945.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Dalmer. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1919
6 babies that year
Average age
91
years old
1941 SSA rank
#3,613
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Dalmer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Dalmer from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Dalmer by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Dalmer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Dalmer
The name Dalmer is thought to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, derived from the Old German words "dal" meaning valley and "mer" meaning sea or large body of water. It was likely a locational surname initially, referring to someone who lived near a valley by the sea or a large lake.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dalmer dates back to the 13th century, when a man named Dalmer von Stettin was mentioned in a historical chronicle from the town of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland). He was a wealthy merchant and landowner in the region.
In the 15th century, a German theologian and philosopher named Johannes Dalmer gained some renown for his writings on Christian ethics and morality. He was born around 1430 in the town of Erfurt and died there in 1498.
During the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, a Swiss Protestant reformer named Jakob Dalmer played a role in the spread of Calvinist teachings in the city of Basel. He lived from approximately 1510 to 1570.
In the 17th century, a German artist named Johann Dalmer (1627-1703) was celebrated for his intricate woodcarvings and sculptures, many of which adorned churches and cathedrals across southern Germany.
In the late 18th century, a German poet and playwright named Friedrich Dalmer (1774-1842) gained some recognition for his romantic and patriotic works, which were popular during the Napoleonic era.
While the name Dalmer has its roots in Germany, it has also been used in other parts of Europe, particularly in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, likely due to migration and cultural exchange over the centuries.
People
Dalmer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Dalmer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Dalmer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Dalmer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Dalmer going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Dalmer a common name?
We classify Dalmer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Dalmer most popular?
The single biggest year for Dalmer was 1919, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Dalmer is about 91 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Dalmer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Dalmer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Dalmer in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Dalmer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Dalmer in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Dalmer can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Dalmer?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Dalmer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.