Elsmer
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "noble protector".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Elsmer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Elsmer today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elsmer births was 1927 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elsmer. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Elsmer. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1927
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1927 SSA rank
#3,901
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Elsmer: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Elsmer 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 Elsmer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Elsmer
The given name Elsmer is of Germanic origin, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Its earliest known variations were Aelsmere and Ælsmær, which were Old English names derived from the elements "æl" (meaning "elf") and "mær" (meaning "famous" or "renowned").
One of the earliest recorded bearers of this name was Aelsmere the Scribe, a monk who lived in the 9th century and is credited with transcribing several important manuscripts and chronicles of the time. His name was mentioned in various monastic records and annals from the Anglo-Saxon period.
In the 11th century, the name Elsmer appeared in the form Ælsmær in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was in use among the Anglo-Saxon nobility and landholding classes of that era.
During the Middle Ages, the name was also found in various forms across different Germanic regions, including Alsmar in Scandinavia and Elsmer in parts of present-day Germany. One notable bearer was Elsmer von Hohnstein, a German knight who participated in the Crusades and is mentioned in chronicles from the late 12th century.
In the 16th century, the name Elsmer appeared in the Netherlands, where it was borne by the poet and historian Elsmer van Rijswijk (1515-1583), who wrote extensively about the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule. His works provided valuable insights into the political and social climate of the time.
Another notable figure was Elsmer Teutonicus (c. 1570-1635), a German scholar and theologian who taught at various universities in Europe and authored several influential works on Protestant theology and biblical exegesis.
As the name spread and evolved over the centuries, various spellings and variations emerged, such as Elsmere, Elsmore, and Elsmere. One prominent bearer was Elsmer Huxley (1825-1895), an English writer and anthropologist who was a prominent figure in the Victorian era and is remembered for his works on scientific education and agnosticism.
While the name Elsmer is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich historical legacy spanning multiple cultures and regions, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences that have shaped the development of personal names over time.
People
Elsmer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elsmer 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
Elsmer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elsmer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elsmer 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 - US residents.
Is Elsmer a common name?
We classify Elsmer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elsmer most popular?
The single biggest year for Elsmer was 1927, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elsmer is about 0 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 Elsmer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elsmer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elsmer 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 Elsmer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elsmer 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 Elsmer 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 Elsmer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.