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Irma as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Irma

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The baby name Irma is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced English: /ˈɜːrmə/ (ER-muh); American: /ˈɝmə/; German: /ˈɪʁma/ (IR-ma).

Irma is Germanic in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Germanic
Pronunciation: English: /ˈɜːrmə/ (ER-muh); American: /ˈɝmə/; German: /ˈɪʁma/ (IR-ma)

What is the meaning of the name Irma ?

The baby name Irma is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced English: /ˈɜːrmə/ (ER-muh); American: /ˈɝmə/; German: /ˈɪʁma/ (IR-ma).

Irma is Germanic in Origin.

Irma is a feminine given name with deep Germanic roots, drawn from the Old High German element irmin/ermen, meaning "whole, universal, great." It began as a short form of compound names such as Irmgard, Irmengard, and Irmintrud, and is etymologically related to Emma. Medieval veneration of saints like Irmina and Irmgard kept the root visible, while the 19th-century taste for streamlined forms established Irma as an independent name across German, Dutch, and Scandinavian spheres and beyond.

Usage spread into Central and Eastern Europe, Italy, and Spanish-speaking countries; in the United States it rose around 1900 and faded after the 1930s. The name remains familiar from Germany to Latin America and Russia (Ирма). Variants and cognates include Erma (English), Irmgard/Irmgarde (German), Irmina (Polish/Latin), and Irmelin (Scandinavian), with Irmi as a common German diminutive. Core meaning centers on wholeness and universality, conveying strength, completeness, and breadth.

Irma has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Irma

Irma Vitovska Actor · Born 1974 · Ukraine Irma Vitovska is a Ukrainian actress, producer, and public figure best known for playing Lesya in the comedy TV series Lesya+Roma. She has worked at the Young Theater since 1998 and was named an Honored Artist of Ukraine in 2016. Irma P. Hall Actor · Born 1935 · United States Irma P. Hall is an American actress best known for playing strong matriarchal characters in films like Soul Food, The Ladykillers, and A Family Thing. Active on screen since the early 1970s, she is especially remembered as Josephine "Big Mama Joe" Joseph, a role she also reprised in the Soul Food television series.

Irma – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Girls 2024 #1 — 417
Ireland Girls 1973 #1 — 520
SV Girls 0 #13 6 458
GE Girls 0 #16 269 1,564
HN Girls 0 #18 19 884
GE 0 #22 23 997
HN 0 #22 1 704
GT Girls 0 #23 2,047 7,500
ID 0 #26 14 2,238
ID Girls 0 #27 80 3,319
BN 0 #31 2 2,297
NA 0 #32 2 2,537
EE 0 #37 1 1,051
PR Girls 0 #39 165 3,171
PR 0 #44 12 1,497
AL 0 #47 29 2,372
AL Girls 0 #51 288 4,141
LT Girls 0 #56 362 1,904
NL Girls 2013 #57 2 74
MX Girls 0 #57 16,842 17,781
LT 0 #59 29 949
LU 0 #61 6 2,830
SI 0 #67 13 1,612
Finland Girls 2026 #74 8,774 3,895
AO 0 #75 3 2,729
RS 0 #78 7 923
CN 0 #85 2 3,857
GT 0 #88 303 5,948
BN Girls 0 #91 16 5,459
PE Girls 0 #91 6,163 14,861
KZ 0 #93 2 1,452
Sweden Girls 2022 #96 92 1,568
RS Girls 0 #96 42 1,651
TW 0 #100 4 4,523
PH 0 #104 7 5,607
QA 0 #104 3 7,011
PA 0 #106 25 3,797
BO Girls 0 #107 1,865 9,488
GE Boys 0 #107 4 2,055
CY Girls 0 #112 10 3,755
HU 0 #113 3 1,675
AR Girls 0 #114 1,656 8,289
EC 0 #114 8 2,502
PA Girls 0 #116 668 9,861
Norway Girls 2024 #118 4 444
GR Girls 0 #119 133 6,293
Finland Girls 0 #121 846 1,368
KW 0 #121 1 5,216
OM 0 #121 1 6,215
Switzerland Girls 2024 #130 6 1,786
GR 0 #130 6 3,911
IQ 0 #133 1 3,533
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
NL Girls 0 #135 3,034 5,933
EE Girls 0 #136 7 1,888
BN Boys 0 #138 2 6,332
CL Girls 0 #138 3,278 14,098
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
SI Girls 0 #140 35 2,769
LT Boys 0 #145 7 2,166
CR 0 #148 11 5,526
BW Girls 0 #151 1 4,216
EC Girls 0 #151 92 3,650
MT Girls 0 #152 2 3,773
MX 0 #152 345 8,339
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
HU Girls 0 #157 72 3,308
LU Girls 0 #161 25 4,850
UY Girls 0 #165 668 6,731
AR 0 #170 17 2,915
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
UY 0 #174 9 2,477
HR 0 #175 7 2,081
CZ 0 #182 5 3,154
CR Girls 0 #183 545 11,342
AE 0 #185 3 10,220
RU 0 #186 9 3,641
PE 0 #195 118 6,350
CO Girls 0 #198 4,275 16,140
DK 0 #198 9 5,198
NA Girls 0 #204 21 7,146
AO Girls 0 #210 8 4,575
PL 0 #210 3 2,600
BO 0 #213 180 6,868
HR Girls 0 #213 78 3,687
NL 0 #213 192 2,481
LU Boys 0 #220 1 4,970
PS 0 #222 5 5,692
France Boys 1954 #223 3 848
JP Girls 0 #223 23 6,592
BG Girls 0 #227 5 3,559
IR 0 #228 4 4,221
TW Girls 0 #228 49 8,139
MO Girls 0 #233 19 7,056
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
PT 0 #242 9 4,161
Finland 0 #244 64 830
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
HR Boys 0 #259 1 3,997
QA Girls 0 #263 54 15,378
DK Girls 0 #267 50 7,429
CZ Girls 0 #268 75 5,378
SG 0 #274 9 11,010
Canada Girls 2022 #276 5 2,867
IL 0 #277 6 6,291
JM Girls 0 #278 1 7,507
RU Girls 0 #286 258 11,913
SA 0 #286 10 10,560
Austria Girls 0 #288 137 1,885
AL Boys 0 #296 8 5,122
MY 0 #299 32 12,352
IT Girls 0 #301 4,883 9,415
CL 0 #305 108 6,867
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
PL Girls 0 #305 50 5,096
KZ Girls 0 #307 14 5,862
PH Girls 0 #322 69 13,098
CO 0 #332 156 7,768
BR 0 #333 13 5,969
CN Girls 0 #336 14 8,829
OM Girls 0 #337 60 15,987
JO Girls 0 #338 2 7,570
PL Boys 0 #340 1 6,459
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
SD Girls 0 #358 1 7,678
MU Girls 0 #359 4 8,539
Spain 0 #374 79 2,326
Spain Girls 0 #379 1,000 5,561
ZA 0 #384 64 14,421
France Girls 2021 #394 12 3,185
YE 0 #396 3 8,639
BD Girls 0 #404 3 8,413
UY Boys 0 #405 9 5,922
PH Boys 0 #408 1 11,440
MY Girls 0 #411 778 24,821
Germany 0 #415 23 2,542
PT Girls 0 #420 32 7,952
PS Girls 0 #426 98 10,981
AE Girls 0 #447 107 20,968
AR Boys 0 #450 18 7,628
GT Boys 0 #451 24 7,625
SG Girls 0 #454 133 18,916
IR Girls 0 #461 70 8,334
IL Girls 0 #469 150 11,648
KW Girls 0 #483 33 19,177
PA Boys 0 #497 9 9,305
CM Girls 0 #504 37 11,671
CR Boys 0 #506 5 10,188
IT 0 #508 213 4,183
BR Girls 0 #515 548 12,708
IQ Girls 0 #522 4 11,303
BH 0 #523 31 17,937
RU Boys 0 #524 3 12,621
HK Girls 0 #539 77 16,104
HK Boys 0 #556 2 12,905
Germany Girls 0 #559 308 4,949
LY 0 #559 1 12,703
PS Boys 0 #559 3 10,655
IR Boys 0 #563 3 10,162
BO Boys 0 #568 25 9,244
CM Boys 0 #573 3 12,054
BD Boys 0 #605 1 10,045
SA Girls 0 #624 321 25,931
IL Boys 0 #625 1 10,983
ZA Girls 0 #632 643 25,928
CL Boys 0 #646 20 13,390
IN Girls 0 #654 1 13,121
LB 0 #682 9 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #697 1 13,071
SG Boys 0 #738 2 17,960
QA Boys 0 #741 3 18,093
BR Boys 0 #742 10 12,213
SY 0 #766 2 11,684
MX Boys 0 #795 191 16,355
TR 0 #795 499 19,440
PE Boys 0 #804 75 14,506
TN 0 #819 11 13,765
NG Girls 0 #823 4 15,093
United States Girls 2024 #850 67 8,487
CO Boys 0 #879 42 15,656
OM Boys 0 #916 3 17,948
EG Girls 0 #947 13 14,742
IN Boys 0 #1,036 4 16,750
MY Boys 0 #1,062 50 25,439
MA 0 #1,106 23 20,986
AE Boys 0 #1,139 5 22,615
DZ 0 #1,161 16 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,267 6 25,619
IT Boys 0 #1,428 44 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,589 26 28,008

Irma is popular in 87 countries — most recent births per country:

France
NL
Norway
Switzerland
Sweden

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People also ask about Irma

Irma is predominantly a girl's name.
Irma is a 2 syllable name, pronounced English: /ˈɜːrmə/ (ER-muh); American: /ˈɝmə/; German: /ˈɪʁma/ (IR-ma).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Irmina, Irmhild, Irmengard, Irmela, Irmtraud and Irmeli.
Across languages, Irma has these equivalents: Erma (English/Italian), Irmina (Polish/Slavic), Irmela (German), Irmengard/Irmhild (older Germanic forms).
Yes, very popular — Irma ranked #1 in Germany in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 10 countries.
Irma ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2024).
Irma's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #411 in 2011 to #394 in 2021 in France.
Yes — 2 notable people named Irma are in our database, including Irma Vitovska (Actor), Irma P. Hall (Actor).