Elmer is a name of Germanic

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

origin. The given name originated as a surname, a medieval variant of the given name Aylmer, derived from

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...

''æþel'' (noble) and ''mær'' (famous). It was adopted as a given name in the United States, "in honor of the popularity of the brothers Ebenezer and

Jonathan Elmer Jonathan Elmer (November 29, 1745September 3, 1817) was an American politician, of the Pro-Administration (Federalist) Party. Early life Jonathan Elmer was born in Cedarville, New Jersey, in 1745. He was the son of Reverend Daniel Elmer and Abig ...

, leading supporters of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

." The name has declined in popularity since the first decades of the 20th century and fell out of the top 1,000 names used for American boys in 2009. However, it continues in use for newborn boys in the United States, where 154 boys born there in 2021 received the name. The name is common in the United States and Canada. Notable people with the name include:

Mononym

Eilmer of Malmesbury Eilmer of Malmesbury (also known as Oliver due to a scribe's miscopying, or Elmer, or Æthelmær) was an 11th-century English Benedictine monk best known for his early attempt at a gliding flight using wings. Life Eilmer was a monk of Malm ...

(or Elmer), 11th-century English Benedictine monk * In the amateur radio subculture, an ''

Elmer Elmer is a name of Germanic British origin. The given name originated as a surname, a medieval variant of the given name Aylmer, derived from Old English ''æþel'' (noble) and ''mær'' (famous). It was adopted as a given name in the United State ...

'' is a mentor to a newcoming amateur radio operatorThe term first appeared in the March, 1971 issue of '' QST'' magazine's "How's DX" column by Rod Newkirk, W9BRD (now also VA3ZBB). Newkirk called them "the unsung fathers of Amateur Radio." While he probably was not trying to coin a term at the time, here's how Newkirk introduced "Elmer" in his column and, as it turned out, to the rest of the amateur radio world: "Too frequently one hears a sad story in this little nutshell: 'Oh, I almost got a ticket, too, but Elmer, W9XYZ, moved away and I kind of lost interest.'" Newkirk went on to say, "We need those Elmers. All the Elmers, including the ham who took the most time and trouble to give you a push toward your license, are the birds who keep this great game young and fresh."

Given name

Elmer L. Andersen Elmer Lee Andersen (June 17, 1909 – November 15, 2004) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who built a successful business career with the H. B. Fuller Company. Andersen was most notably the 30th Governor of Minnesota ...

(1909–2004), American businessman, philanthropist, and the 30th governor of Minnesota *

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 origi ...

(1922–2004), American composer *

Elmer Bischoff Elmer Nelson Bischoff (July 9, 1916 – March 2, 1991) was a visual artist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bischoff, along with Richard Diebenkorn and David Park, was part of the post- World War II generation of artists who started as abstract p ...

(1916–1991), American painter * W. Elmer Brandon (1906–1956), Canadian politician, known by his middle name *

Elmer Davis Elmer Holmes Davis (January 13, 1890 – May 18, 1958) was an American news reporter, author, the Director of the United States Office of War Information during World War II and a Peabody Award recipient. Early life and career Davis was born i ...

(1890–1958), news reporter, author, director of the United States Office of War Information during World War II *

Elmer Dessens Elmer Dessens Jusaino eh-SENZ(born January 13, 1971) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Personal life Elmer Dessens was born on January 13, 1971, in Hermosillo, Mexico. At age 10, he worked as a ne ...

(born 1971), major league baseball relief pitcher * Elmer Diktonius (1896–1961), Finnish writer and composer *

Elmer E. Ellsworth Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth (April 11, 1837 – May 24, 1861) was a United States Army officer and law clerk who was the first conspicuous casualty and the first Union officer to die in the American Civil War. He was killed while removin ...

(1837–1861), lawyer and soldier, and the first conspicuous casualty of the American Civil War *

Elmer Flick Elmer Harrison Flick (January 11, 1876 – January 9, 1971) was an American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1910 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Athletics, and Cleveland Bronchos/ ...

(1876–1971), American hall-of-fame baseball player * Elemér Gorondy-Novák (1885–1954), Hungarian military officer, who served as commander of the Hungarian Third Army during the Second World War, leader of Hungarian forces during

Invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was ...

* Elmer Gedeon (1917–1944), American baseball player *

Elmer Grey Elmer Grey, FAIA (April 29, 1872 – November 14, 1963) was an American architect and artist based in Pasadena, California. Grey designed many noted landmarks in Southern California, including the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Huntington Art Gall ...

(1872–1963), American architect and artist * Elmer E. Hall, brigadier general in the United States Marine Corps * Elmer Beseler Harris (1939–2019), American businessman and politician * Elmer

Cameron Hawley Cameron Hawley (September 19, 1905 – February 9, 1969) was an American writer of fiction from Howard, South Dakota. Much of Hawley's output concerned the pressures of modern life, particularly in a business setting. He published numerous nove ...

(1905–1969), American novelist * Elmer Keith (1899–1984), American firearms cartridge designer and author * Elmer Kelton (1926–2009), American journalist and writer, particularly of Western novels * Elmer Lach (1918–2015), Canadian ice hockey player * Elmer Layden (1903–1973), commissioner of the National Football League and head football coach at the University of Notre Dame * Elmer MacKay (born 1936), Canadian politician * Elmer McCurdy (1880–1911), American outlaw whose corpse was put on exhibit * Elmer Drew Merrill (1876–1956), American botanist * Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, (1947–2011)

Vietnam veteran A Vietnam veteran is a person who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States Armed Forces, and ot ...

and high-ranking member of the

Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxism-Leninism, Marxist-Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. New ...

Elmer Rees Elmer Gethin Rees, (19 November 1941 – 4 October 2019) was a Welsh mathematician with publications in areas ranging from topology, differential geometry, algebraic geometry, linear algebra and Morse theory to robotics. He held the post of Dire ...

(1941–2019), Welsh mathematician *

Elmer Rice Elmer Rice (born Elmer Leopold Reizenstein, September 28, 1892 – May 8, 1967) was an American playwright. He is best known for his plays ''The Adding Machine'' (1923) and his Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of New York tenement life, '' Street Sce ...

(1892–1967), American playwright *

Elmer Riddle Elmer Ray Riddle (July 31, 1914 – May 14, 1984) was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he appeared in all or parts of ten Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons (1939–45; 1947–49) for the Cincinnati Reds and Pit ...

(1914–1984), baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds *

Elmer Snowden Elmer Chester Snowden (October 9, 1900 – May 14, 1973) was an American banjo player of the jazz age. He also played guitar and, in the early stages of his career, all the reed instruments. He contributed greatly to jazz in its early days as b ...

(1900–1973), American jazz musician *

Elmer Ambrose Sperry Elmer Ambrose Sperry Sr. (October 12, 1860 – June 16, 1930) was an American inventor and entrepreneur, most famous for construction, two years after Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe, of the gyrocompass and as founder of the Sperry Gyroscope Company. ...

(1860–1930), American inventor and entrepreneur * Elmer Steele (1886–1966), American baseball player * Elmer Valo (1921–1998), major league baseball player, coach, and scout * Uncle Elmer, American wrestler, born Stanley Fraizer

Surname

Adolph Daniel Edward Elmer Adolph Daniel Edward Elmer (June 14, 1870 – 1942) was an American botanist and plant collector.. He was mostly active in the Philippines, his collections being described as new species by both himself and other botanists. The Japanese sent him ...

(1870–1942), American botanist * Birger Elmér (1919–1999), head of the Swedish secret intelligence agency, known as IB (1965–1975) *

Charles Elmer Charles Wesley Elmer (1872–1954) was an American amateur astronomer and court reporter who co-founded the Perkin-Elmer optical company in 1937. He was born in New York City, and for most of his life he was employed as a court reporter. However, ...

(1872–1954), American amateur astronomer, co-founder of the Perkin-Elmer optical company *

Ebenezer Elmer Ebenezer Elmer (August 23, 1752 – October 18, 1843) was an American physician from Bridgeton, New Jersey. He represented New Jersey in the U.S. Congress from the Democratic-Republican Party from 1801 to 1807. Elmer's older brother, Jonathan Elm ...

(1752–1843), American politician and physician *

Edwin Romanzo Elmer Edwin Romanzo Elmer (1850–1923) was an American portrait, genre and still life painter. Known for his attention to detail, he was also an inventor of a machine for braiding horsewhips. Spending most of his life in Ashfield, Massachusetts, Elme ...

(1850–1923), American painter *

Emma Osterman Elmer Emma Osterman Elmer (1867 – September 5, 1956) was an American librarian and author known for her cataloging work in the Philippines. She and her husband, botanist Adolph Daniel Edward Elmer were held prisoner in Santo Tomas Internment Camp dur ...

(1867–1956), American librarian and author *

Greg Elmer Greg Elmer (born 1967 in Birmingham, U.K.) is Bell Globemedia Research Chair, Professor of Professional Communication, and Director of the Infoscape Research Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in Toronto, Canada. ...

(born 1967), British-born Professor of Professional Communication at Ryerson University *

James Elmer James "Jimmy" Andrew Elmer (born 8 May 1971 in Melbourne, Victoria) is a former field hockey striker from Australia, who was a member of the team that won the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney He was nickname A nic ...

(born 1971), Australian Olympic field hockey striker * James C. Elmer (1882–1920), American college football player * John Elmer (footballer) (1905–1993), Australian rules footballer * Jonas Elmer (director) (born 1966), Danish film director, screenwriter and actor *

Jonas Elmer Jonas Elmer (born 28 February 1988) is a Swiss Association football, footballer who currently works for FC Stäfa as a player-assistant coach. Football career Early career Elmer was signed by FA Premier League, English Premier League side Che ...

(born 1988), Swiss footballer *

(1745–1817), American politician * Kenneth Elmer (born 1948), Canadian Olympic middle-distance runner * Lachlan Elmer (born 1969), Australian Olympic field hockey player *

Lucius Elmer Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus Elmer (February 3, 1793 – March 11, 1883) was an American Democratic Party politician who represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district in the U.S. Congress from 1843 to 1845. He was son of Ebenezer Elmer ...

(1793–1883), American Democratic politician, U.S. Representative from New Jersey (1843–1845) * Philip Elmer-DeWitt (born 1949), American computer journalist *

Rico Elmer Rico Elmer (born 23 July 1969) is a Swiss ski mountaineer and mountain runner. Elmer was born in village of Elm in the canton of Glarus. He first competed in the Patrouille des Glaciers event in 1996 and has been member of the national team sin ...

(born 1969), Swiss ski mountaineer and mountain runner *

Rudolf Elmer Rudolf Elmer (born 1 November 1955) is a Swiss private banker, whistleblower, and activist. He worked as a banker at Julius Bär from the 1980s to his dismissal in 2002. At this time, he was head of the bank's Caribbean operations for eight years. ...

, whistleblower who released documents about Swiss bank Julius Bär * Stephen Elmer (baptised 1715–1796), English painter *

Terri-Rae Elmer Terri-Rae Elmer (born 1956) is a Los Angeles based radio personality. Elmer was a radio news announcer for KFI AM 640 from 1983-2011. Following KFI Terri-rae became the co-host of the morning show on KABC 790 with Doug McIntyre. Cumulus Media di ...

(born 1956), Los Angeles radio broadcaster * Wally Elmer (1898–1978), Canadian ice hockey player *

William Elmer William Elmer (April 25, 1869 – February 24, 1945) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1913 and 1942. He was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa and died in Hollywood, California. Elmer acted in ...

(1869–1945), American silent film actor *

William P. Elmer William Price Elmer (March 2, 1871 – May 11, 1956) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri. Born in Robertsville, Missouri to William J. and Sarah (Wagoner) Elmer, the family moved to Salem, Missouri in 1875. Elmer attended the public s ...

(1871–1956), U.S. Representative from Missouri (1943–1945)

Fictional characters

Elmer the Patchwork Elephant ''Elmer the Patchwork Elephant'' (often shortened to Elmer) is a children's picture book series by the British author David McKee. The books ''Elmer'' was first published by Dobson Books in 1968, and re-issued with re-drawn illustrations in ...

, the title character in a series of children's picture books by David McKee * ''

'', a comic book by Gerry Alanguilan * Elmer, a fictional bull, "husband" of

Elsie the Cow Elsie the Cow is a cartoon cow developed as a mascot for the Borden Dairy Company in 1936 to symbolize the "perfect dairy product". Since the demise of Borden in the mid-1990s, the character has continued to be used in the same capacity for the c ...

Elmer Fudd Elmer J.'' Hare Brush'' (1956) Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes''/'' Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon panthe ...

, a Looney Tunes character * Elmer Elephant, the titular character of a Disney ''Silly Symphonies'' short *

Elmer Gantry ''Elmer Gantry'' is a satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 that presents aspects of the religious activity of America in fundamentalist and evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s public toward it. The novel's protagonis ...

, the title character in a novel by Sinclair Lewis * Elmer C. Albatross, in the

Baccano! is a Japanese light novel series written by Ryohgo Narita and illustrated by Katsumi Enami. The series, often told from multiple points of view, is mostly set within a fictional United States during various time periods, most notably the ...

light novel series * Elmer, the ventriloquist dummy used by Western film actor

Max Terhune Max Terhune (February 12, 1891 – June 5, 1973) was an American film actor born in Franklin, Indiana. He appeared in nearly 70 films, mostly B-westerns, between 1936 and 1956. Among these, Terhune starred in ''The Three Mesquiteers'' and ...

* Elmer, on '' Pappyland'' * Elmer Phitts, a character in the Brandon Rogers Cinematic Universe

Notes

{{given name, type=both Masculine given names English masculine given names

Mononym

Given name

Surname

Fictional characters

See also

Notes