Elmer

English

"noble and renowned"

Elmer Origin and Meaning

The name Elmer is both a boy's name and a girl's name of English origin meaning "noble and renowned".

Thanks to Elmer Fudd, Elmer the Cow, and even Elmer's glue, this name has become a bit of a joke -- the quintessential so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out name. But with its trendy El-beginning and popular er-ending, who knows?

Hard as it may be to believe today, Elmer was a Top 100 name for at least 50+ years--until 1937--hitting Number 38 at the turn of the last century. One literary reference is the title character in Sinclair Lewis's novel Elmer Gantry; real life namesakes include playwright Elmer Rice and composer Elmer Bernstein. "Elmer's Tune" is a jazz classic.

Elmer Popularity

• 1761 Nameberry 2023
• 235 Unique 2021