NameRealm
Erma

Erma: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“whole, universal”
Origin
Germanic
Say it
UR-muh · 2 syllables
Used for
Girls

Usually a short form of names beginning with Erm-, from Germanic ermen meaning whole or universal. It is also used as a variant of Irma.

English namesGerman namesAmerican namesVintage namesShort names

How popular is Erma?

20244.2 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Erma in 202414

Peak year1906

Total US babies since 188055,161

Erma is steady now but far below its 1906 peak.

Names like Erma

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Irmawhole; universal · Germanic
  • Emmawhole, universal · Germanic
  • Ameliawork · Germanic
  • Ellaall, completely · Germanic
  • Alicenoble type · Germanic
  • Adelinenoble · Germanic
  • Milliegentle strength · Germanic
  • Aubreyelf ruler · Germanic

Erma questions

What does the name Erma mean?

Erma means "whole, universal". It comes from Germanic. Usually a short form of names beginning with Erm-, from Germanic ermen meaning whole or universal. It is also used as a variant of Irma.

Is Erma a boy or girl name?

Erma is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Erma?

14 US babies were named Erma in 2024. Its peak year was 1906.

How do you pronounce Erma?

Erma is usually pronounced UR-muh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.