# Elaine (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/elaine/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ɪˈleɪn/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Lainey |
| Variant spellings | Elaina |
| US babies named this | 263,543 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 653 / 262,890 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 561, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Old French Elaine, a variant of Elene, cognate to Helen, ultimately from Ancient Greek Ἑλένη (Helénē). A Celtic origin has also been suggested since the name appears in Arthurian legend. Doublet of Helen.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 399 | 699 |
| 2012 | 400 | 703 |
| 2013 | 360 | 753 |
| 2014 | 439 | 650 |
| 2015 | 423 | 675 |
| 2016 | 498 | 604 |
| 2017 | 507 | 591 |
| 2018 | 470 | 636 |
| 2019 | 545 | 563 |
| 2020 | 583 | 519 |
| 2021 | 647 | 486 |
| 2022 | 685 | 464 |
| 2023 | 808 | 381 |
| 2024 | 849 | 368 |
| 2025 | 1,007 | 305 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 12 | 2,455 |
| 1965 | 12 | 2,397 |
| 1966 | 6 | 3,639 |
| 1967 | 6 | 3,669 |
| 1970 | 9 | 3,356 |
| 1972 | 5 | 5,193 |
| 1975 | 6 | 4,993 |
| 1978 | 5 | 6,094 |
| 1979 | 5 | 6,332 |
| 1980 | 6 | 5,734 |
| 1982 | 7 | 5,190 |
| 1983 | 6 | 5,686 |
| 1985 | 5 | 6,848 |
| 1988 | 8 | 5,344 |
| 1989 | 6 | 7,256 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 16 | 1,729 |
| 2012 | 20 | 1,525 |
| 2013 | 14 | 1,956 |
| 2014 | 13 | 2,058 |
| 2015 | 13 | 2,070 |
| 2016 | 18 | 1,689 |
| 2017 | 17 | 1,733 |
| 2018 | 14 | 1,977 |
| 2019 | 16 | 1,782 |
| 2020 | 17 | 1,687 |
| 2021 | 21 | 1,454 |
| 2022 | 31 | 1,081 |
| 2023 | 17 | 1,705 |
| 2024 | 29 | 1,160 |
| 2025 | 29 | 1,133 |

## In other languages

- French: Élaine
- Portuguese: Elaine

## People named Elaine

- Elaine Chao, 18th United States Secretary of Transportation and 24th United States Secretary of Labor
- Elaine Paige, English singer, stage actress and radio presenter
- Elaine May, American screenwriter, film director, actress, and comedian (b. 1932)
- Elaine Hendrix, American actress
- Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer in film, television, and the theatre (1925–2014)
- Elaine de Kooning, American painter (1918-1989)
- Elaine Stewart, American actress, model (1930-2011)
- Elaine Showalter, American literary critic, feminist, and writer on cultural and social issues
- Elaine Brown, American activist (born 1943)
- Elaine Morgan, British screenwriter, journalist, and author (1920–2013)
- Elaine Hammerstein, American actress (1897-1948)
- Elaine Youngs, American beach volleyball player

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.