Given name & surname
Elma
“having God's protection”
Elma is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “having God's protection.”
Original GermanAlma
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “having God's protection.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
How it developed
In English usage, Elma developed from Guglielma.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Elma through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 22,186
- 483 boys · 21,703 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 674 babies
- 2025
- 32
- #4,384 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 32 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,384 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 4.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 659 in 1918. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,574 as a first name in 2020; 233 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Elma’s family of names
In English usage, Elma developed from the Italian form Guglielma. In German usage, Elma has a related form in Alma. In Finnish usage, Elma has a related form in ELMI.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Elma has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its German roots to each of them.
Germanwhere Elma comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Elma
- Elma KarlowaYugoslav actress (1932-1994)
- Elma DanielssonSwedish journalist1865–1936
- Elma SaizSpanish politician and lawyerborn 1975
- Elma MurosFilipino long jumperborn 1967
- Elma MbadiweNigerian actress
- Elma Parsamyansoviet Armenian astrophysicist and astronomerborn 1929
- Elma de VriesDutch speed skaterborn 1983
- Elma van HarenDutch poet and writerborn 1954
- Elma DiendaNamibian politicianborn 1964
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Elma, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Erma
“one who is complete; universal”
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“a universal woman”
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