Elmo
Italian short form of Erasmo, the Italian version of the Greek Erasmus, from erasmios, meaning beloved; sailors invoked a Saint Elmo for protection.
Elmo in 2025
Elmo was not given to any babies in 2025. The Social Security Administration only publishes a name once at least five babies receive it in a year, so Elmo has fallen below that threshold.
The history of Elmo
Elmo reached its highest point in 1920, when 409 babies were given the name, ranking 596th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 564th, in 1916.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 10,338 babies have been named Elmo. Half of them were born before 1925, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Elmo by decade
| Decade | Babies named Elmo | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 135 | 829 |
| 1890s | 191 | 906 |
| 1900s | 429 | 626 |
| 1910s | 2,598 | 564 |
| 1920s | 2,987 | 596 |
| 1930s | 1,452 | 906 |
| 1940s | 1,022 | 1,187 |
| 1950s | 691 | 1,703 |
| 1960s | 376 | 2,536 |
| 1970s | 202 | 3,994 |
| 1980s | 131 | 6,426 |
| 1990s | 85 | 8,590 |
| 2000s | 23 | 14,303 |
| 2010s | 5 | 27,885 |
| 2020s | 11 | 23,088 |
Where Elmo is heading
Elmo was not in use ten years ago, so there is no decade-long trend to compare against yet.
That is less than 5% of its 1920 peak — Elmo is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Elmo
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Elmo.