Elmus
A male name of unknown meaning and origin, potentially a variant of Ellis.
Name Census estimates that about 38 living Americans carry the first name Elmus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Elmus today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elmus births was 1952 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elmus. 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 Elmus is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Elmus' were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Elmus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
38
~ 1 in 9,019,851 Americans
Peak year
1952
11 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1952 SSA rank
#2,413
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Elmus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elmus from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 78 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
Elmus 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 Elmus 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 Elmus
The name Elmus is believed to have originated from the Old English language, derived from the combination of two words: "ælf" meaning "elf" and "mund" meaning "protection" or "guardian." This suggests that the name Elmus may have been given to individuals who were thought to be under the protection or guardianship of elves or supernatural beings.
The earliest known use of the name Elmus dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period in England, around the 5th to 11th centuries. It was a relatively uncommon name during this time, but it did appear in some historical records and manuscripts.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Elmus was a minor Anglo-Saxon nobleman who lived in the 9th century. He is mentioned in the Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici, a collection of Anglo-Saxon charters and documents.
In the 11th century, an English monk named Elmus is recorded to have lived at the Benedictine monastery of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England. He was known for his scholarly work and contributions to the monastery's library.
During the Middle Ages, the name Elmus appeared occasionally in various European regions, such as France and Germany, likely due to cultural exchanges and migrations. One notable figure was Elmus of Arras, a 13th-century French scholar and theologian who wrote extensively on canon law and theology.
In the 16th century, an Italian philosopher and mathematician named Elmus Bartoli lived and worked in Bologna. He is best known for his contributions to the study of mechanics and his work on the principles of statics.
Another historical figure with the name Elmus was a Dutch explorer and navigator named Elmus van Diemen, who lived in the 17th century. He was employed by the Dutch East India Company and is credited with discovering several islands in the Indian Ocean, including the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
While the name Elmus was relatively rare throughout history, it has left a unique and intriguing trail across various cultures and time periods, reflecting its ancient origins and the diverse individuals who carried this name.
People
Elmus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elmus 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
Elmus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elmus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 38 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elmus 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 9,019,851 US residents.
Is Elmus a common name?
We classify Elmus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 228 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elmus most popular?
The single biggest year for Elmus was 1952, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elmus is about 85 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 Elmus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elmus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elmus 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 Elmus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elmus 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 Elmus 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 are called Elmus?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.