Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1920

Erma

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #5,292 Trend ↑ Rising 19%

A female given name from the Germanic languages, of rare usage, variant of Irma.

Rank 2025
#5,292
among girls · ↑2,418 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
24
named Erma
How common
1 in 66,969
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1920
1,541 babies
All-time total
55,187
#551 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Erma popularity over time

55,187 babies have been named Erma since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 540 – 540 54 – #237
1890s 1,895 – 1,895 190 +251% #173
1900s 3,623 – 3,623 362 +91% #139
1910s 10,953 62 11,015 1,102 +204% #138
1920s 14,260 67 14,327 1,433 +30% #152
1930s 9,701 77 9,778 978 -32% #163
1940s 6,555 27 6,582 658 -33% #228
1950s 3,916 5 3,921 392 -40% #331
1960s 1,719 – 1,719 172 -56% #654
1970s 639 – 639 64 -63% #1,227
1980s 385 – 385 39 -40% #1,986
1990s 235 – 235 24 -39% #3,365
2000s 225 – 225 23 -4% #4,854
2010s 179 – 179 18 -20% #5,344
2020s (to 2025) 124 – 124 21 +15% #5,280

Where Erma is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 25 0.02 outside top 500
2027 26 0.02 outside top 500
2028 26 0.02 outside top 500
2029 27 0.02 outside top 500
2030 27 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Erma

Erma is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #5,292 in 2025 with 24 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 55,187 American babies have been named Erma. Its peak came in 1920, when 1,541 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Erma stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Erma?

The median living Erma is about 76 years old; half are between 66 and 85. An estimated 14 thousand people named Erma are alive in the United States today.

median 76 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Erma year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 24 #5,292 – –
2024 14 #7,710 – –
2023 22 #5,610 – –
2022 20 #6,060 – –
2021 24 #5,280 – –
2020 20 #5,932 – –
2019 21 #5,854 – –
2018 12 #8,785 – –
2017 21 #5,904 – –
2016 13 #8,548 – –
2015 25 #5,344 – –
2014 21 #6,057 – –
2013 17 #7,154 – –
2012 20 #6,420 – –
2011 13 #8,787 – –
2010 16 #7,636 – –
2009 12 #9,576 – –
2008 26 #5,482 – –
2007 26 #5,421 – –
2006 26 #5,285 – –
2005 20 #6,085 – –
2004 27 #4,854 – –
2003 25 #4,987 – –
2002 24 #4,956 – –
2001 16 #6,711 – –
2000 23 #5,043 – –
1995 19 #5,081 – –
1990 27 #3,830 – –
1985 37 #2,611 – –
1980 53 #1,986 – –
1975 69 #1,488 – –
1970 83 #1,296 – –
1965 151 #807 – –
1960 241 #654 – –
1955 356 #481 – –
1950 544 #331 – –
1945 601 #283 – –
1940 741 #228 – –
1935 930 #189 13 #2,066
1930 1,207 #169 11 #2,495
1925 1,490 #162 9 #2,999
1920 1,529 #152 12 #2,503
1915 1,375 #139 9 #2,696
1910 577 #140 6 #1,467
1905 330 #164 – –
1900 275 #188 – –
1895 203 #191 – –
1890 135 #205 – –
1885 55 #267 – –
1880 30 #284 – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Erma, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Erma?

The median living Erma is about 76 years old. Half of all living Ermas are between 66 and 85 years old.

How many people named Erma are alive today?

An estimated 14 thousand people named Erma are alive in the United States, based on 55,187 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Erma mean?

A female given name from the Germanic languages, of rare usage, variant of Irma.

How popular is the name Erma in 2025?

Erma ranked #5,292 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 24 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Erma?

55,187 babies have been named Erma in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Erma most popular?

Erma peaked in 1920, when 1,541 newborns received the name.

Is Erma a boy or girl name?

Erma is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Erma rising or falling?

Erma has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Erma become more popular?

Erma is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 27 girls named Erma in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Erma

Names that sound and feel close to Erma: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Erma with similar names → More names starting with E →