Unisex name · since 1915
El
Since 1915, U.S. Social Security records show 246 babies named El, peaking in 2000. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #11,761 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 246
- born since 1915
- 1970s
- peak decade
El sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 246 recorded since 1915.
Social Security Administration records show El recorded 246 times among boys since 1915, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 2023.
- #11,761 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 246 born since 1915
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, El ranks #11,761 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 246 born since 1915, peaking in the 1970s.
- #11,761 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 246
- born since 1915
- 1970s
- peak decade
El's 246 recorded births place it above 74.1% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by New York.
El's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
El splits its recorded history at 1971: 53% of all births land in the more recent half, 47% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1924 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2000 peak of 11 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
El popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2023
- Peak year (2000)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 109 years of records
El popularity over time - girls
38 total births recorded since 1928 (El as girls' name)
El by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (40 births, 16% of the file).
1970s was El's strongest decade.
40 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
El births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s
1910s
21 births
- 1920s
1920s
30 births
- 1930s
1930s
27 births
- 1940s 15
1940s
15 births
- 1950s 7
1950s
7 births
- 1960s
1960s
16 births
- 1970s
1970s
40 births
- 1980s
1980s
16 births
- 1990s
1990s
33 births
- 2000s
2000s
36 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 40 births (16% of all-time use).
El by state
Where El concentrates geographically, total births since 1915
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 10 | 4.1% |
10 of 246 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with El's data
- El's decade-level peak was the 1970s (40 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Els (10 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring El
Nearby Names Like El
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to El
Compare El side by side: El vs Elijah El vs Eli El vs Elmer
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for El: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2000)
Similar record span (~108 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1915–2023 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for El draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.