Total births
262,890
Girls' name · since 1880
Elaine
Elaine has 262,890 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1947 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #368
- among girls today
- 262,890
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Elaine currently ranks #368 among girls' names in America, with 262,890 babies recorded since 1880.
Elaine has 262,890 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #368 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of girls, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #368 among girls today
- 262,890 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Elaine is currently the #368 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 262,890 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #368
- among girls today
- 262,890
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Elaine vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#368
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
1940s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Elaine was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
7,059 babies were named Elaine in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Elaine compares
262,890 Top 1% higher than 99% of 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
Elaine's all-time total is 688x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Elaine | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 262,890 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 7,059 | 48 | 19,840 |
Elaine's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Elaine splits its recorded history at 1954: 36% of all births land in the more recent half, 64% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1880 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1947 peak of 7,059 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Elaine at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1947
Current rank
#368
Active since
1880
Elaine popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 7,059
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Elaine popularity over time - boys
653 total births recorded since 1918 (Elaine as boys' name)
Elaine by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Elaine's strongest decade.
60,105 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Elaine births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 41
1880s
41 births
- 1890s 239
1890s
239 births
- 1900s 783
1900s
783 births
- 1910s 8,576
1910s
8,576 births
- 1920s
1920s
34,907 births
- 1930s
1930s
41,108 births
- 1940s
1940s
60,105 births
- 1950s
1950s
54,232 births
- 1960s
1960s
27,466 births
- 1970s 9,779
1970s
9,779 births
- 1980s 7,112
1980s
7,112 births
- 1990s 5,441
1990s
5,441 births
- 2000s 4,138
2000s
4,138 births
- 2010s 4,384
2010s
4,384 births
- 2020s 4,579
2020s
4,579 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 60,105 births (23% of all-time use).
How Elaine 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 Elaine's total volume
Elaine vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Elaine by state
Where Elaine concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 33,577 | 12.8% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 21,432 | 8.2% |
| #3 | California | | 18,641 | 7.1% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 15,755 | 6.0% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 14,480 | 5.5% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 13,809 | 5.3% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 13,202 | 5.0% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 11,454 | 4.4% |
New York share of Elaine's total US births 12.8%
Even split
33,577 of 262,890 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Elaine appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Elaine? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 262,890 babies named Elaine. Today it holds rank #368 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1947, with 7,059 births.
When was Elaine most popular? ▼
Elaine was most popular in the 1940s decade with 60,105 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Elaine most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Elaine are New York (33,577 births), Pennsylvania (21,432 births), California (18,641 births).
How long has the name Elaine been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Elaine since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Elaine? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elaina, Elana, Elayna, Elayne, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Elaine's data
- Elaine's decade-level peak was the 1940s (60,105 total births); usage has since declined to 4,579 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Elaines (33,577 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- 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 Elaine
Nearby Names Like Elaine
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elaine
Elaina Girl
#254 32,220 births
Elana Girl
#1876 8,909 births
Elayna Girl
#1427 5,251 births
Elayne Girl
#3649 4,114 births
Ela Girl
#1719 2,846 births
Compare Elaine side by side: Elaine vs Elaina Elaine vs Elana Elaine vs Elayna
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Elaine
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Elaine: #368 Girls' Name - 262,890 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/elaine. 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 Elaine 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.