Erma
A feminine name of German origin meaning "universal" or "whole".
Name Census estimates that about 10,584 living Americans carry the first name Erma. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Erma today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Erma births was 1920 (1,541 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Erma. 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
- • Although Erma is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 238 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • The typical person named Erma is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ermas were born before 1964.
- • Compared to the 1920s, recent registration numbers for Erma have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
11K
~ 1 in 32,384 Americans
Peak year
1920
1,541 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1951 SSA rank
#3,875
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Erma
Out of the 55,161 babies given the name Erma since 1880, 99.6% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Erma as a male name
- Ranked #3,875 in 1951
- 5 male births in 1951
- Peak: 1935 (13 births)
Erma as a female name
- Ranked #7,685 in 2024
- 14 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1920 (1,529 births)
Popularity
Erma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Erma from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 14,327 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
Erma 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 Erma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ermas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 46 states and territories. Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio recorded the most babies named Erma, while New Hampshire, Vermont, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,001 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Erma
The given name Erma has its roots in the Germanic languages, specifically Old High German. It is derived from the word "erma" which means "whole" or "complete". The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions where Germanic languages were spoken.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Erma can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the 9th century. The name appears in a document dated 857 AD, referring to a woman named Erma who was a landowner in the region of present-day Germany.
In the Middle Ages, the name Erma was associated with strength, resilience, and completeness. It was often given to girls with the hope that they would grow up to be wholesome and well-rounded individuals.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Erma was Erma of Brittany, a Breton noblewoman who lived in the 11th century. She was known for her involvement in the political intrigues of the time and her influence over the Duke of Brittany.
Another famous Erma was Erma Bombeck, an American humorist and author born in 1927 and died in 1996. She was widely renowned for her humorous writings about suburban life and motherhood, which resonated with millions of readers across the United States.
In the realm of literature, Erma Hendrieks was a notable American author and poet born in 1884 and died in 1946. She gained recognition for her poetry collections and her works exploring themes of nature and spirituality.
The name Erma also had a notable presence in the world of academia. Erma Greenwood, born in 1920 and died in 2003, was an American historian and educator who made significant contributions to the study of women's history and feminist thought.
Another prominent figure was Erma Henderson, an American civil rights activist born in 1909 and died in 1997. She played a crucial role in the desegregation of public schools in Oklahoma and was a vocal advocate for racial equality.
People
Erma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Erma 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
Erma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Erma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10,584 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Erma 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 32,384 US residents.
Is Erma a common name?
We classify Erma as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 55,161 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Erma most popular?
The single biggest year for Erma was 1920, when 1,541 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Erma is about 72 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Erma a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Erma in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.