Girls' name · since 1880
Elena
Elena has 108,013 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #356 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #42 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 108,013
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Elena currently ranks #42 among girls' names in America, with 108,013 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elena has been recorded 108,013 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #42 nationally and more common than 99.8% 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 1880 to 2025.
- #356 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #42 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 108,013 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elena ranks #356 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #42 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 108,013 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #356 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #42 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 108,013
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Elena's 108,013 recorded births place it above 99.5% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Elena compares
108,013 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Elena's all-time total is 287x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Elena | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 108,013 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,836 | 21 | 19,840 |
Elena's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Elena's SSA record in two at 1954 and the more recent half accounts for 92% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 8%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2025 peak of 4,836, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Elena popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 4,836
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Elena popularity over time - boys
104 total births recorded since 1932 (Elena as boys' name)
Elena by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (28,804 births, 27% of the file).
2010s was Elena's strongest decade.
28,804 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Elena births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 74
1880s
74 births
- 1890s 200
1890s
200 births
- 1900s 376
1900s
376 births
- 1910s 1,335
1910s
1,335 births
- 1920s 2,169
1920s
2,169 births
- 1930s 1,638
1930s
1,638 births
- 1940s 2,247
1940s
2,247 births
- 1950s 3,454
1950s
3,454 births
- 1960s 4,744
1960s
4,744 births
- 1970s 5,281
1970s
5,281 births
- 1980s 6,300
1980s
6,300 births
- 1990s 9,500
1990s
9,500 births
- 2000s
2000s
15,699 births
- 2010s
2010s
28,804 births
- 2020s
2020s
26,192 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 28,804 births (27% of all-time use).
How Elena 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 Elena's total volume
Elena by state
Where Elena concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 19,425 | 18.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 14,751 | 13.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 8,318 | 7.7% |
| #4 | Florida | | 5,343 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 4,727 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 3,390 | 3.1% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 3,032 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Arizona | | 3,003 | 2.8% |
19,425 of 108,013 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Elena appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Elena? ▼
Where does Elena sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Elena most popular? ▼
Where is Elena most popular? ▼
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What to do with Elena's data
- Elena's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (28,804 total births) through the 2020s (26,192) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Elenas (19,425 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 Elena
Nearby Names Like Elena
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elena
Compare Elena side by side: Elena vs Eleanor Elena vs Eleanore Elena vs Eleanora
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Elena
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Elena: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Elena 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.