girl's name
Erma
UR-muh
- Origin German
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 55,192
Erma is the only name in this group recorded in a single market across its whole history — every one of its 55,187 births is American, and it charts nowhere else in any year we hold.
- Erma is a name of German origin.
- Peaked in 1920, when 1,541 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 138,141 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Erma over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 540 |
| 1890s | 1,895 |
| 1900s | 3,623 |
| 1910s | 11,015 |
| 1920s | 14,327 |
| 1930s | 9,778 |
| 1940s | 6,582 |
| 1950s | 3,921 |
| 1960s | 1,719 |
| 1970s | 639 |
| 1980s | 385 |
| 1990s | 235 |
| 2000s | 225 |
| 2010s | 179 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 124 |
What Erma means
Erma means whole, universal or great. The Germanic element behind it functioned as an intensifier as much as a description, so it reads as complete rather than large.
Where Erma comes from
Erma is a short form of names in the Germanic irmin or ermen — whole, universal, great. The element is the same one in the Irminsul, the great pillar the Saxons venerated until Charlemagne destroyed it in 772, and it lies behind Emma, Irma and Ermintrude. It functioned partly as an intensifier, so Ermengard is roughly the whole enclosure rather than a big one. Erma Bombeck's newspaper columns kept the name in American view through the 1970s.
Erma in use
Erma peaked in the United States in 1920, when 1,541 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 5253rd in the United States on 24 births, across 55,192 lifetime births. Our records hold no births for it in any other market in any year, which makes it the most narrowly distributed name in this group.
How popular is Erma?
In 2025, Erma was given to 24 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Erma is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Erma
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Erma also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Erma over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Erma in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Erma
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Erma — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Erma
What does the name Erma mean?
Whole or universal — the Germanic irmin, which worked partly as an intensifier.
Is Emma related?
Yes, through the same Germanic element.
What was the Irminsul?
A great pillar venerated by the Saxons, destroyed by Charlemagne in 772.
Where is Erma used?
The United States only. We hold no births for it in any other market.
How popular is the name Erma?
In 2025, Erma was given to 24 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Erma a girl's or a boy's name?
Erma is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Erma?
Erma has 2 syllables.
When was Erma most popular?
Erma peaked in 1920, when 1,541 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Erma a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Erma currently ranks #5,253 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.