Girls' name · since 1887

Ela

Since 1887, U.S. Social Security records show 2,846 babies named Ela, peaking in 2018. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#3,721 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#1,562 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
2,846
born since 1887
2010s
peak decade

Yes -- Ela is the #1562 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 2,846 recorded since 1887.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ela has been recorded 2,846 times among girls since 1887, currently ranked #1562 nationally and more common than 91% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1887 to 2025.

  • #3,721 of 72,339 all-time among girls
  • #1,562 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
  • 2,846 born since 1887
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ela ranks #3,721 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,562 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 2,846 born since 1887, peaking in the 2010s.

#3,721 of 72,339
all-time among girls
#1,562 of 17,297
2025 SSA year
2,846
born since 1887
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%90.9%
Ela vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Ela's 2,846 recorded births place it above 94.85% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.

18 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

18 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Ela compares

2,846 Top 19% higher than 81% of 17,297 names currently given to girls

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Ela's all-time total is 8x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Ela Median girls name (Kyann) #1 girls name (Olivia)
All-time total births 2,846 376 567,345
Peak-year births 150 21 19,840

Ela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Ela's full recorded timeline at 1962, 88% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 12% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1887, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2018 peak of 150 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Ela popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1887–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2018)
150
Annual births at peak, across 139 years of records
050100150200 188719011916192719671993200520162025 135

Ela by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (1,152 births, 40% of the file).

2010s was Ela's strongest decade.

1,152 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 40% of all-time use.

Ela births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 1,152 births (40% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Ela compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Ela's total volume

Ela vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%10%20%30% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -146, 2.5%-21, 9.4%-34, 6.4%-41, 6.9%-50, 27%-72, 6%-112, 1.9%-38, 6.9%-38, 7.8%-45, 8.1%-60, 4.3%-86, 6%-33, 5.9%-101, 3.6%-44, 9.5%Ela-139, 5.3%Ela
Ela vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Ela by state

Where Ela concentrates geographically, total births since 1887

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Ela
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
321 11.3%
#2 New York
262 9.2%
#3 Florida
189 6.6%
#4 Texas
182 6.4%
#5 New Jersey
125 4.4%
#6 Illinois
79 2.8%
#7 Massachusetts
43 1.5%
#8 Pennsylvania
33 1.2%
California share of Ela's total US births 11.3%
Even split

321 of 2,846 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 18 reporting states.

Ela appears in 18 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Ela? ▼
2,846 babies have been named Ela since 1887. All-time, it sits at #3,721 of 72,339 girls' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #1,562 of 17,297 among girls. The peak year was 2018 with 150 births.
Where does Ela sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ela ranks #3,721 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,562 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Ela most popular? ▼
Ela was most popular in the 2010s decade with 1,152 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
Where is Ela most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Ela are California (321 births), New York (262 births), Florida (189 births).
How long has the name Ela been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Ela since 1887 -- 139 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Ela? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elaine, Elaina, Elana, Elayna, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Ela's data

  • Ela's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (1,152 total births) through the 2020s (699) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Elas (321 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Ela

Nearby Names Like Ela

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ela

Elaine Girl
#304 262,890 births
Elaina Girl
#267 32,220 births
Elana Girl
#1984 8,909 births
Elayna Girl
#1306 5,251 births
Elayne Girl
#3720 4,114 births

Compare Ela side by side: Ela vs Elaine Ela vs Elaina Ela vs Elana

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Ela

Delia #1561
37,318 births · Peak 1957
Frida #1563
8,491 births · Peak 2017
Lennyn #1560
809 births · Peak 2025
Rayla #1564
1,590 births · Peak 2025
Addilynn #1559
4,524 births · Peak 2016
Keeley #1565
6,692 births · Peak 2007
Maelani #1558
812 births · Peak 2025
Kalina #1566
4,288 births · Peak 2019

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Ela: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1887–2025 (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 Ela 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.