2000
#5,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,896
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.19
Rare Last name
Elmer
Noble and renowned, or possibly referring to a noble and famous army.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,370 Americans carry the last name Elmer. That puts it at #5,969 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,808 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elmer surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Elmer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,808
Census rank
#5,969
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,555 bearers of the surname Elmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5969th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elmer
The surname ELMER has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "aelm," which means "elm tree," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked with elm trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions an individual named Ælmær, a landowner in Bedfordshire.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings, including Elmer, Elmere, and Aylmere. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
In the 13th century, records show an individual named William Elmer as a landowner in Suffolk. This suggests that the name had become more established and associated with specific families by this point.
Notable individuals with the surname ELMER throughout history include:
1. Jonathan Elmer (1745-1817), a physician and politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and as a member of the New Jersey Legislative Council.
2. Ebenezer Elmer (1752-1843), an American lawyer and statesman who served as the Attorney General of New Jersey and as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
3. Alfred Elmer (1870-1942), an American chemist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry and served as the president of Stanford University from 1917 to 1923.
4. Herbert Charles Elmer (1886-1944), a British artist and illustrator known for his paintings of rural landscapes and his illustrations for books and magazines.
5. Veronica Elmer (1916-2003), an American actress and model who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century.
The surname ELMER has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Elmer's End in Kent, Elmer's Green in Buckinghamshire, and Elmer Sands in West Sussex. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname ELMER who had connections to or resided in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Elmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Elmer bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Elmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 5,007
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 227
- Two or more races3.0% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 57
- Black or African American0.9% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elmer
Elmer appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,119
+223 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#5,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,555
-564 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 298 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,432 | 5,896 | 2.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,671 | 6,119 | 2.07 | +223 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #5,969 | 5,555 | 1.86 | -564 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 298 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Elmer surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,671 | #5,969 | -5.3% |
| Count | 6,119 | 5,555 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.07 | 1.86 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elmer bearers went from 6,119 to 5,555 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 298 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,671 to #5,969.
FAQ
Elmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elmer?
Name Census estimates that about 6,370 living Americans carry the surname Elmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,808 residents.
How common is Elmer?
Elmer ranks #5,969 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,555 people with the surname Elmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,370), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Elmer.
Has Elmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elmer went from 6,119 recorded bearers to 5,555. That is a decrease of 564 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,671 to #5,969.
What does the Census say about the background of Elmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Elmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (5,007 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Elmer (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Elmer mean?
Noble and renowned, or possibly referring to a noble and famous army. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Elmer (1.86 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Elmer?
See how many people are called Elmer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.