US rank #1501 Girls' name Peak 1920 21,496 births

Elinor — #1501 US girls' name

21,496 babies named Elinor in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s1371890s2771900s6561910s40101920s57611930s37621940s18291950s8371960s4171970s2171980s2321990s4052000s7332010s14242020s799
#1501
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 92% of names given to girls today.

1920s
Peak decade

27% of everyone ever named Elinor was born in this single decade.

1920
Single peak year

656 babies were named Elinor in 1920 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Elinor

The Social Security Administration has registered 21,496 babies named Elinor between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Elinor currently holds the #1501 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1920, when 656 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Elinor performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 5,761 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Elinor shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 2,713 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Elinor in 44 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Elinor in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 21,496 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Elinor at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

21,496

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1920

656 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#1,501

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Elinor popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1920)
656
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2000200400600800 202420051986196719481929191018911880 9

Elinor by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
5,761 births that decade — 27% of Elinor's all-time total
1880s1371890s2771900s6561910s40101920s57611930s37621940s18291950s8371960s4171970s2171980s2321990s4052000s7332010s14242020s799

Elinor by state

Where Elinor concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Elinor
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
2,713 12.6%
#2 Massachusetts
1,654 7.7%
#3 Pennsylvania
1,477 6.9%
#4 California
1,150 5.3%
#5 Illinois
1,009 4.7%
#6 Ohio
879 4.1%
#7 New Jersey
731 3.4%
#8 Michigan
653 3.0%
New York share of Elinor's total US births 12.6%
Even split

2,713 of 21,496 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.

Elinor appears in 44 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Elinor?
21,496 babies have been named Elinor since 1880. It currently ranks #1501 among girls. The peak year was 1920 with 656 births.
When was Elinor most popular?
Elinor was most popular in the 1920s decade with 5,761 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Elinor most popular?
The top states for the name Elinor are New York (2,713 births), Massachusetts (1,654 births), Pennsylvania (1,477 births).
How long has the name Elinor been used?
Elinor has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Elinor?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elizabeth, Elise, Eliza, Eliana, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Elinor

Nearby Names Like Elinor

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

Names with a similar popularity rank to Elinor

Baby Name Guides

Learn more about naming trends and how to use data to choose a name

Explore more names

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.