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Erma

girl name
Origin
Germanic
Syllables
2
Peak era
1890s/1930s
Today
▬ Steady

Meaning

variant of Irma, traditionally 'whole, universal'

Erma around the world

One shared root links 4 names across 3 languages.

Shared root: from Germanic ermen "whole, universal", begun as a short form of Ermentrude-type compounds

The constellation

ErmaEnglish · variantEmmaEnglishEmaSpanishIrmaGerman

Popularity, 1890–2024

peak 1890s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Erma peaked in the 1890s and the 1930s in nearly equal measure.

See popularity in Brazil

Popularity in Brazil

150 people · the #31,103 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 64

1940s1950s1960s

Among people named Erma living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1950s than in any other decade.

Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

When you meet Erma

People given the name Erma in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1940 to 1969. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Erma

Emma Erna Bertha Zelma Adele Eda

The Erma deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Erma truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Erma fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

Keep exploring

Short names

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