Elmer peaked in 1918, has over 129,000 total registered uses, and is now ranked #1166 — sitting at the edge of what naming circles call the "grandpa name" revival. The question isn't whether Elmer is having a moment. It's whether that moment is about to arrive.
Old English and Old Nobility
Elmer derives from the Old English Æðelmær — a compound of æðel (noble) and mær (famous), meaning "nobly famous." It was a name of some standing in Anglo-Saxon England before the Norman Conquest pushed it out of fashion for centuries. It returned through the surname-to-given-name pipeline in nineteenth-century America, becoming particularly popular in rural communities. The name shares its etymology with Aylmer, its more Anglo-Norman counterpart, and sits in the same Old English family as Ethelbert and Alfred — names that have already started their own revivals. Check the 1910s naming era and you'll find Elmer sitting alongside Chester and Herbert, many of which are now being reconsidered.
The Fudd Problem
Elmer Fudd is unavoidable in any honest discussion of this name. Looney Tunes characters shape American cultural memory in ways that outlast the cartoons themselves, and Elmer Fudd (bumbling, pompous, easily outwitted) is not the association most parents want for their son. This is the primary reason Elmer has lagged behind comparable vintage names like Archie and Walter in the current revival. The cartoon shadow is real and persistent.
The Case for Elmer Anyway
And yet: Archie had Archie comics. Walter had Breaking Bad's Walter White. Every name carries some cultural baggage. The parents choosing Elmer now tend to be the kind of people who delight in the unexpected — who find the audacity of the choice to be part of the appeal. If your family aesthetic runs toward genuinely old-fashioned names with substance and a hint of humor, Elmer delivers. Five-letter names with this much history are rarer than they look.