Elemer
A masculine Hungarian name of uncertain meaning, possibly deriving from an Old Hungarian personal name.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Elemer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Elemer today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elemer births was 1927 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elemer. 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 Elemer is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Elemers were born before 1960.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Elemer. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1927
9 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1957 SSA rank
#4,152
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Elemer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elemer from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 25 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elemer 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 Elemer 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 Elemer
The name Elemer has its origins in the Hungarian language and culture, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old Hungarian words "elem" meaning "nourishment" or "food" and "ér" meaning "value" or "worth." The combination of these words suggests a meaning along the lines of "valuable nourishment" or "precious sustenance."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Elemer can be found in the 12th-century Hungarian chronicle known as the "Gesta Hungarorum" (The Deeds of the Hungarians), where it is mentioned as the name of a Hungarian nobleman. This suggests that the name was in use among the Hungarian nobility during this period.
In the 14th century, a Hungarian bishop named Elemer served as the Bishop of Veszprém, a prominent diocese in western Hungary. His tenure as bishop lasted from 1349 to 1357, indicating that the name had gained acceptance within the ecclesiastical ranks of the time.
During the Renaissance period, a renowned Hungarian scholar and mathematician named Elemer Szentmiklóssy (1486-1542) made significant contributions to the advancement of mathematics and astronomy. He is credited with introducing the use of decimal fractions in Hungary and played a crucial role in the development of mathematical education in the region.
In the 19th century, a Hungarian writer and poet named Elemer Balogh (1836-1905) gained recognition for his literary works, which often explored themes of nature and rural life. His poetry collection "Falusi Képek" (Village Scenes) earned him widespread acclaim and cemented his place in Hungarian literary history.
Another notable figure bearing the name Elemer was Elemer Báthory (1868-1923), a Hungarian politician and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Hungary from 1919 to 1920. He played a pivotal role in the transition from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the independent Kingdom of Hungary after World War I.
While the name Elemer has its roots in Hungarian culture, it has also been adopted and used in other Slavic and Eastern European countries over time, albeit with variations in spelling and pronunciation.
People
Elemer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elemer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Elemer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elemer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elemer 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Elemer a common name?
We classify Elemer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 42 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elemer most popular?
The single biggest year for Elemer was 1927, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elemer is about 76 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 Elemer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elemer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elemer 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 Elemer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elemer 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 Elemer 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 common is the name Elemer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.