Erman
Turkish masculine name meaning "honesty", "sincerity".
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the first name Erman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Erman today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Erman births was 1915 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Erman. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Erman with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Erman is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ermans were born before 1958.
People living today
147
~ 1 in 2,331,662 Americans
Peak year
1915
26 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1975 SSA rank
#5,733
Tracked since 1897
Census
Erman in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 368 people with the first name Erman, which placed it at #25,680 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
#25,680
National first-name rank
People counted
368
368 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
62.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Erman
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Erman is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.9%) and Black (8.4%). 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 Erman 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 Erman at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.8% · 231
- Hispanic or Latino17.9% · 66
- Black or African American8.4% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.6% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 7
- Two or more races1.4% · 5
Popularity
Erman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Erman from the 1890s through to the 1970s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 193 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
Erman 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 Erman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ermans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Erman
The name Erman has its origins in the Turkish language and culture, tracing back to the early Ottoman period in the 13th century. Derived from the Persian word "erman," meaning "desire" or "wish," it was initially used as a surname or title bestowed upon individuals who possessed a strong will or determination.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Erman can be found in the writings of the renowned Turkish poet and mystic, Yunus Emre, who lived during the 13th and 14th centuries. In his poetic works, he referred to a disciple or companion named Erman, suggesting the name's usage during that era.
As the Ottoman Empire expanded its territories, the name Erman gained popularity among various ethnic groups within the empire's borders, including Turks, Persians, and Arabs. It was commonly associated with individuals who displayed courage, resilience, and unwavering spirit.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Erman Bey served as a military commander under the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. He played a significant role in the Ottoman conquest of Rhodes in 1522 and was celebrated for his bravery and strategic prowess.
Another notable individual bearing the name Erman was Erman Pasha, a prominent Ottoman statesman and diplomat who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He served as the Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) under Sultan Selim III and was instrumental in initiating reforms within the Ottoman Empire.
During the 19th century, a renowned Turkish poet and writer named Erman Rasih Kemter left a lasting impact on the literary scene. Born in 1857 in Istanbul, he was renowned for his powerful and emotionally charged poetry, which often explored themes of love, longing, and the human experience.
In the realm of sports, Erman Kunter, a Turkish basketball player born in 1985, gained recognition for his exceptional skills on the court. He represented the Turkish national team in various international competitions and played for several professional clubs throughout his career.
While the name Erman may have been more prevalent in certain regions and time periods, it has maintained a presence throughout history, resonating with the values of determination, ambition, and strength of character.
People
Erman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Erman 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
Erman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Erman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 147 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Erman 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 2,331,662 US residents.
Is Erman a common name?
We classify Erman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 652 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Erman most popular?
The single biggest year for Erman was 1915, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Erman is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Erman in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 368 people with the name Erman, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,680 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 Erman 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 Erman?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Erman leans strongly male. 350 people counted with this name were male (94.9%), compared with 19 female bearers (5.1%). 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 Erman?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Erman is White at 62.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.9%) and Black (8.4%). 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 Erman most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Erman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.8% (231 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 Erman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Erman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Erman 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 Erman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Erman 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 Erman 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 Erman?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Erman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.