Elmer is a name that reads as comfortably out of fashion — which is, at this exact moment, the beginning of its appeal. The Elmer revival in human baby naming is just starting, driven by the broader return of vintage consonant-heavy names, and its arrival in pet naming is following that same trajectory with a slight lag.
The Looney Tunes Weight
Elmer Fudd is the inescapable reference — the perpetually frustrated hunter whose speech impediment and inability to catch Bugs Bunny made him one of animation's great lovable losers. Naming a dog Elmer almost always invokes that bumbling-but-earnest quality. Whether that's the intention or not, the association is warm rather than cruel: Elmer Fudd is a figure of affection, not contempt. Compare with Bugsy for the other half of that Looney Tunes pairing.
Vintage Name Aesthetic
Elmer has Old English roots meaning "noble and famous" — shared with Aylmer — and was a common American given name through the early 20th century. The human name Elmer is in early revival mode. For dogs, Elmer suits the grandfatherly-breed aesthetic perfectly: Basset Hounds, Beagles, and other breeds with deeply sincere expressions.
Counter-Reading: Fudd Forever
There is genuinely no path around Elmer Fudd for most American adults. If the Looney Tunes association bothers you, the name won't work. If you find it charming, and many do, then Elmer is a name with tremendous warmth and surprising depth behind the cartoon layer. The revival is real; the cartoon is not going away.