Total births
260
Girls' name · since 1918
Elain
260 babies named Elain in U.S. Social Security records since 1918, with the highest year being 1947. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #15460
- among girls today
- 260
- born since 1918
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 13%
- more common than other girls
260 babies have been named Elain since 1918, making it today's #15460 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Elain recorded 260 times among girls since 1918, holding rank #15460 nationally today, ahead of 13% of girls, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1918 to 2024.
- #15460 among girls today
- 260 born since 1918
- 1960s peak decade
- 13% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Elain is currently the #15460 girls' name in America, more common than 13% of girls - 260 born since 1918, peaking in the 1960s.
- #15460
- among girls today
- 260
- born since 1918
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 13%
- more common than other girls
Elain vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#15460
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 13% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Elain was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
11 babies were named Elain in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Elain compares
260 42th percentile among 17,726 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
Elain's all-time total is 32% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Elain | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 260 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 11 | 48 | 19,840 |
Elain's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Elain's SSA record in two at 1961 and the more recent half accounts for 47% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 53%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1918, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1947 peak of 11, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Elain at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1947
Current rank
#15,460
Active since
1918
Elain popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1918–2024
- Peak year (1947)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 107 years of records
Elain by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Elain's strongest decade.
66 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Elain births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 10
1910s
10 births
- 1920s 15
1920s
15 births
- 1940s
1940s
47 births
- 1950s
1950s
58 births
- 1960s
1960s
66 births
- 1980s 17
1980s
17 births
- 1990s 22
1990s
22 births
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
- 2020s 15
2020s
15 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 66 births (25% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Elain? ▼
Since 1918, Social Security records show 260 babies named Elain. Today it holds rank #15460 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1947, with 11 births.
When was Elain most popular? ▼
Elain was most popular in the 1960s decade with 66 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
How long has the name Elain been used? ▼
Records for Elain go back to 1918, giving 107 years of history through 2024.
What names are similar to Elain? ▼
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 Elain's data
- Elain's decade-level peak was the 1960s (66 total births); usage has since declined to 15 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Elain
Nearby Names Like Elain
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elain
Elaine Girl
#368 262,890 births
Elaina Girl
#254 32,220 births
Elana Girl
#1876 8,909 births
Elayna Girl
#1427 5,251 births
Elayne Girl
#3649 4,114 births
Compare Elain side by side: Elain vs Elaine Elain vs Elaina Elain vs Elana
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Elain
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1918–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Elain: #15460 Girls' Name - 260 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/elain. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Elain 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 June 2026.