Zelmer
Of Old German origin meaning "zealous protector of peace".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Zelmer. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 76.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Zelmer today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zelmer births was 1924 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zelmer. 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 Zelmer is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Zelmers were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Zelmer. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1924
11 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1946 SSA rank
#3,523
Tracked since 1914
Gender
Gender distribution for Zelmer
Zelmer is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 68 total registrations, 52 (76.5%) were male and 16 (23.5%) were female.
Zelmer as a male name
- Ranked #3,523 in 1946
- 6 male births in 1946
- Peak: 1920 (9 births)
Zelmer as a female name
- Ranked #5,056 in 1924
- 6 female births in 1924
- Peak: 1924 (6 births)
Popularity
Zelmer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zelmer from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 31 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
Zelmer 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 Zelmer 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 Zelmer
The name Zelmer is of Slavic origin, deriving from the Old Polish word "zelm," meaning "greenery" or "verdant." This name first emerged in the 9th century AD among the West Slavic tribes inhabiting the regions now known as Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
Throughout the Middle Ages, Zelmer was a relatively common name among the peasant and noble classes alike in these regions. It's believed to have been particularly popular in the rural areas, likely due to its association with nature and the importance of agriculture in those societies.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Zelmer appears in a 12th-century Latin chronicle documenting the life of a minor Polish nobleman named Zelmer of Krakow, who lived from approximately 1120 to 1187. While little is known about his specific achievements, the chronicle provides a glimpse into the use of this name during that era.
In the 15th century, a renowned Polish painter and illuminator named Zelmer Gołębiowski (c. 1415-1480) gained recognition for his exquisite illuminated manuscripts and religious paintings adorning churches throughout central Europe. His works are now considered among the finest examples of Polish Renaissance art.
During the 16th century, a Czech mathematician and astronomer named Zelmer Jankovic (1527-1591) made significant contributions to the understanding of celestial mechanics and the motions of planets. His treatises on planetary orbits were widely studied across Europe and influenced the work of later astronomers like Johannes Kepler.
A notable figure bearing the name Zelmer in the 19th century was the Polish author and poet Zelmer Kaminski (1825-1891). His romantic poetry and novels depicting the struggles of the Polish people against foreign occupation were widely popular among readers of his time and helped fuel the growing sentiment for Polish independence.
In the early 20th century, a Polish-American labor activist named Zelmer Piotrowski (1897-1976) played a pivotal role in organizing trade unions and advocating for workers' rights in the United States. His efforts contributed to the establishment of fair labor laws and improved working conditions for countless American workers.
People
Zelmer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zelmer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zelmer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zelmer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zelmer 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Zelmer a common name?
We classify Zelmer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 68 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zelmer most popular?
The single biggest year for Zelmer was 1924, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zelmer is about 88 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 Zelmer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zelmer a male name?
Yes, 76.5% of people registered as Zelmer 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 Zelmer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zelmer 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 Zelmer 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 Americans are named Zelmer?
See how many people have the name Zelmer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.