Helmer
A name derived from German origin meaning "bright helmet".
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the first name Helmer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Helmer today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Helmer births was 1917 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Helmer. 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.
People living today
139
~ 1 in 2,465,859 Americans
Peak year
1917
37 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
2017 SSA rank
#10,090
Tracked since 1884
Popularity
Helmer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Helmer from the 1880s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 250 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Helmer 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 Helmer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Helmers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin recorded the most babies named Helmer, while Wisconsin, North Dakota, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 52 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Helmer
The name Helmer is of Germanic origin, deriving from the Old Norse words "hilmir" or "helmr," which translate to "helmet" or "protector." This name emerged during the Viking Age, spanning the late 8th to the late 11th centuries, when Scandinavian warriors and explorers ventured across Europe and beyond.
The name Helmer was particularly prevalent among the Norse people in what is now Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland. It was often given to sons born to families with a strong warrior tradition, signifying strength, bravery, and the ability to protect one's kin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Helmer can be found in the Icelandic sagas, a collection of literary works written in the 13th and 14th centuries that detail the lives and adventures of Norse settlers in Iceland. These sagas mention several characters bearing the name Helmer, although their historical accuracy is debated.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Helmer. One of the earliest was Helmer of Wurzburg, a 9th-century German nobleman and military leader who fought against the invading Magyars. Another was Helmer Muurling, a 14th-century Dutch knight and crusader who participated in the Alexandrian Crusade.
In more recent times, Helmer Herlingsson (1877-1947) was a Swedish politician and trade union leader who played a significant role in shaping labor policies in Sweden during the early 20th century. Helmer Hanssen (1870-1956) was a Norwegian explorer and hunter who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and was known for his expertise in polar travel.
Additionally, Helmer Morten Nissen (1912-1991) was a Danish architect and designer who made significant contributions to the field of furniture design, particularly with his iconic "Nissen" chair. Helmer Rosen (1931-2017) was a Swedish author and journalist who wrote extensively on social and political issues, earning him the prestigious August Prize for his work.
While the name Helmer has historically been more common in Scandinavian countries and Germanic regions, it has also found its way into other cultures and languages over time, though its origins can be traced back to the ancient Norse heritage.
People
Helmer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Helmer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Helmer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Helmer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 139 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Helmer 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 2,465,859 US residents.
Is Helmer a common name?
We classify Helmer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 835 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Helmer most popular?
The single biggest year for Helmer was 1917, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Helmer is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Helmer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Helmer 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.
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.