Erma’s Notebook: Personalized Journal for Erma
Erma's Notebook is a lined journal with one name on the cover, hers. The name sits in flowing script above a soft pink watercolor apple blossom design.
- 160 lined pages
- 6" x 9" paperback
- Watercolor apple blossom cover with "Erma's Notebook" on the front
- Printed and shipped by Amazon
The meaning of Erma
Erma is a variant of Irma, says Behind the Name, and both began to be used in the English-speaking world in the 19th century. Irma started as a German short form of names beginning with the Old German element irmin, meaning “whole, great”. That same root makes Erma a cousin of Emma.
Nicknames for Erma
Erma is already short, so it rarely needs a pet form. Behind the Name links it to Irma and, through the shared irmin root, to Emma, so either works as a sister name or a playful swap.
Famous Ermas
Erma Bombeck was born on February 21, 1927, in Bellbrook, Ohio, and grew up in Dayton. Wikipedia says her humor column about suburban home life was syndicated from 1965 to 1996, and she wrote more than four thousand columns. By the 1970s about 30 million readers followed her in nine hundred newspapers across the US and Canada. Her 1976 book The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank became a best seller.
How popular is Erma?
Erma belongs to the early 1900s. US Social Security data has it at 161st in the 1900s, 147th in the 1910s and 162nd in the 1920s, when more than 14,200 American girls were named Erma. Behind the Name says it last ranked in the US top 1,000 in 1968.
Fun facts about the name Erma
Aretha Franklin’s big sister was an Erma. Wikipedia says Erma Franklin recorded the original version of “Piece of My Heart” in 1967 and was nominated for a Grammy for it; Janis Joplin’s band Big Brother and the Holding Company covered it the next year. Erma also sang backup on Aretha’s signature tune, “Respect”. Her version of “Piece of My Heart” reached number 9 in the UK in 1992 after it was used in a Levi’s commercial.
Erma gift ideas
- For Mother’s Day. A journal for a mom with stories worth a column.
- For a humor writer. A notebook for jokes, quips and first drafts.
- For a soul music fan. Liner notes for a lover of Franklin family records.
- For a retirement. A place to start writing those memoirs.
Who it’s for and ways to use it
This is a notebook for every kind of Erma: the student, the list-maker, the diary keeper, the busy mom. Its 160 lined pages and 6" x 9" format suit daily journaling, study, meal plans, goals or gratitude notes. Plain lines mean no rules about how to use it. Her name on the front makes it easy to spot on a crowded desk.
Why a name on the cover matters
Notebooks tend to multiply on desks and in drawers. One with Erma’s name on the front is instantly hers: easy to spot, harder to “borrow”, and more personal than a plain cover. For children especially, seeing their own name on something makes it special and encourages them to actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Erma’s Notebook? The notebook measures 6 x 9 inches (roughly 15 x 23 cm) and has 160 lined pages.
Where do I buy it? Use the buttons on this page to find it on Amazon in the US, Australia and the UK. Amazon handles printing, shipping and returns.
Do you have other names? Yes. We publish hundreds of girls’ name notebooks with the same cover design. See our personalized name notebooks page or browse all name notebooks.
View Erma's Notebook on Amazon
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