Elaine
The Old French form of Helen, from Arthurian romance.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Elaine appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in 36 different years between 1921 and 1957. Its biggest year was 1947, when 7,059 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 50 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1938, at No. 42. In 2025 it ranked No. 304 for girls. All told, 263,543 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Elian (15,380), Elayne (4,114), Elowyn (3,599), Elowen (2,088), Ellowyn (970), Eliane (619) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Helen, Lainey
Explore Elaine interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 41 | No. 836 |
| 1890s | 239 | No. 467 |
| 1900s | 783 | No. 309 |
| 1910s | 8,576 | No. 136 |
| 1920s | 34,907 | No. 67 |
| 1930s | 41,108 | No. 42 |
| 1940s | 60,105 | No. 44 |
| 1950s | 54,232 | No. 60 |
| 1960s | 27,466 | No. 112 |
| 1970s | 9,779 | No. 217 |
| 1980s | 7,112 | No. 293 |
| 1990s | 5,441 | No. 409 |
| 2000s | 4,138 | No. 576 |
| 2010s | 4,384 | No. 563 |
| 2020s | 4,579 | No. 304 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.