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.
- #17,211 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 260
- born since 1918
- 1960s
- peak decade
Elain sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 260 recorded since 1918.
Social Security Administration records show Elain recorded 260 times among girls since 1918, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, 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.
- #17,211 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 260 born since 1918
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elain ranks #17,211 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 260 born since 1918, peaking in the 1960s.
- #17,211 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 260
- born since 1918
- 1960s
- peak decade
Elain's 260 recorded births place it above 76.15% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
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 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
1960s is the heaviest window (66 births, 25% of the file).
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
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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.
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
Compare Elain side by side: Elain vs Elaine Elain vs Elaina Elain vs Elana
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Elain: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1947)
Similar record span (~106 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, 1918–2024 (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 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 August 2026.