Elmo
Elmo is a male name, derivative of Erasmus, via the old Italian diminutive Ermo.
- Italian
- English
- Finnish
- Estonian
Meaning & Origin of Elmo
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Elmo is a male name, derivative of Erasmus, via the old Italian diminutive Ermo.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Italian
- English
- Finnish
- Estonian
The Story of Elmo
Elmo first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 15 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1920: 397 births, good for #279 nationwide. About 29% of every Elmo on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Elmo last appeared in the published SSA data in 2023, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 10K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Elmo
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Elmo. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Elmo
Phonetically similar names — useful when Elmo is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Elmo
What does the name Elmo mean?
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How popular is Elmo in 2026?
When was Elmo most popular?
In which U.S. states is Elmo most popular?
Is Elmo a unisex name?
What names go well with Elmo?
What are nicknames or variants of Elmo?
About the name Elmo
Elmo is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 10K births in the dataset. Elmo's peak popularity came in 1920 when it ranked #279. Use the chart and map above to compare Elmo's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1920 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "E" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.