Given name & surname · also English
Elmo
“a protector”·“an amiable man”
Elmo is used as a given name, a surname, and a nickname. Interpretations include “a protector” and “an amiable man”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a protector” and “an amiable man”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with English and Latin naming traditions. The precise derivation is uncertain.
How it developed
In English usage, Elmo is a short form of Elmer.
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. In English use, Elmo is a short form of Elmer. The history of Elmer gives this family its wider story. Elmer’s naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Elmo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10,338
- 10,091 boys · 247 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 409 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2023. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 397 in 1920. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,485 as a first name in 2020; 334 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.
Elmo’s family of names
In English usage, Elmo is a short form of Elmer. In Italian usage, Elmo has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Erasmo. In English usage, Elmo has a conventional equivalent in the Portuguese form TELMO.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Elmo has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
4 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 6
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Elmo
- Elmo LincolnAmerican film actor (1889-1952)
- Elmo ZumwaltUnited States Navy admiral (1920–2000)
- Elmo NüganenEstonian actor and director of both film and theatre (born 1962)
- Elmo WilliamsAmerican film editor, producer and director (1913-2015)
- Elmo HopeAmerican jazz pianist, composer, and arranger (1923-1967)
- Elmo Noel Joseph Pereraretired Bishop (1932-2015)
- Elmo SmithAmerican politician (1909-1968)
- Elmo BovioArgentine footballer (1925-2017)
- Elmo De WittSuid-Afrikaanse filmmaker1935–2011
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Elmo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elmore
“from the moor of the elm trees”
>99% boys
Ellsworth
“from the nobleman's estate”
>99% boys
Eldred
“an old, wise advisor”
93% boys · 7% girls
Elbert
“a wellborn man” · “a bright man”
>99% boys
Melton
“from the mill town”
>99% boys
Elton
“a spontaneous woman” · “from the old town”
99% boys · 1% girls
Merton
“from the village near the pond” · “from the town near the lake”
>99% boys
Edmond
“a wealthy protector”
>99% boys