Elery
Ancient English name derived from the Old English words "elm" and "tree".
Name Census estimates that about 70 living Americans carry the first name Elery. It is a predominantly male name (98.5% of registrations). The average person named Elery today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elery births was 1921 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elery. 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 Elery is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Elerys were born before 1964.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Elery. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
70
~ 1 in 4,896,491 Americans
Peak year
1921
17 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1981 SSA rank
#5,705
Tracked since 1904
Census
Elery in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 204 people with the first name Elery, which placed it at #37,948 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#37,948
National first-name rank
People counted
204
204 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
66.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elery
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Elery is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Hispanic (10.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Elery described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Elery at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.2% · 135
- Black or African American16.2% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino10.8% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 7
- Two or more races3.4% · 7
Gender
Gender distribution for Elery
Elery leans heavily male at 98.5% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Elery as a male name
- Ranked #5,705 in 1981
- 6 male births in 1981
- Peak: 1921 (17 births)
Elery as a female name
- Ranked #15,910 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Elery on both sides of the split. Of the 202 people counted with this name, 159 were male (78.7%) and 43 were female (21.3%).
Popularity
Elery: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elery from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 107 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
Elery 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 Elery 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 Elery
The name Elery has its roots in ancient Greek and Latin roots. It is derived from the Greek name Eleutherios, which means "free" or "liberator." The Latin form of the name is Elerius, and it carries similar connotations of freedom and independence.
The name Elery first appeared in written records during the Middle Ages, primarily in continental Europe. It was used as a given name among the nobility and upper classes, likely as a reflection of their elevated social status and the freedoms they enjoyed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Elery can be found in the chronicles of the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Wandrille in Normandy, France. In the 11th century, a monk named Elery is mentioned as a prominent scholar and teacher within the monastic community.
Throughout the centuries, the name Elery has been borne by several notable figures. One such individual was Elery Bynner (1891-1976), an American poet and scholar who is best known for his translations of Chinese poetry and his contributions to the literary scene of the early 20th century.
Another prominent figure was Elery Hamilton-Smith (1912-1993), an Australian environmentalist and speleologist (cave scientist) who played a significant role in the conservation of caves and karst landscapes in Australia.
In the realm of science, Elery Crisfield Huntington (1838-1909) was an American mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the motion of planets.
Elery Queen is a pseudonym used by the American writers Frederic Dannay (1905-1982) and Manfred Bennington Lee (1905-1971), who co-authored numerous mystery novels and short stories featuring the fictional detective Ellery Queen.
Lastly, Elery Demeritte (1950-2008) was a Bahamian actor and filmmaker who gained recognition for his roles in various television shows and movies, including the cult classic "The Harder They Come."
While the name Elery has maintained a presence throughout history, its usage has been relatively uncommon compared to more popular names. However, its unique origins and connections to concepts of freedom and liberation have contributed to its enduring appeal and fascination.
People
Elery + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elery 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
Elery: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elery?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 70 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elery 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 4,896,491 US residents.
Is Elery a common name?
We classify Elery as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 323 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elery most popular?
The single biggest year for Elery was 1921, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elery is about 72 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Elery in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 204 people with the name Elery, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,948 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Elery in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Elery?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Elery on both sides of the split. Of the 202 people counted with this name, 159 were male (78.7%) and 43 were female (21.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Elery?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Elery is White at 66.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Hispanic (10.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Elery most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Elery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.2% (135 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Elery in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elery a male name?
Yes, 98.5% of people registered as Elery 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 Elery still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elery 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 Elery 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.
How many people have the name Elery?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Elery, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.