Girls' name · since 1880
Elsa
30,710 babies named Elsa in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2014. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #822 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,104 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 30,710
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Elsa currently ranks #1104 among girls' names in America, with 30,710 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Elsa recorded 30,710 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #1104 nationally today, ahead of 94% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #822 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,104 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 30,710 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elsa ranks #822 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,104 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 30,710 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #822 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,104 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 30,710
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Elsa's 30,710 recorded births place it above 98.86% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
49 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Elsa compares
30,710 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Elsa's all-time total is 82x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Elsa | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 30,710 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,140 | 21 | 19,840 |
Elsa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Elsa's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 71% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 29%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 20 births recorded -- set against the 2014 peak of 1,140, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Elsa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2014)
- 1,140
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Elsa popularity over time - boys
21 total births recorded since 1924 (Elsa as boys' name)
Elsa by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (5,449 births, 18% of the file).
2010s was Elsa's strongest decade.
5,449 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Elsa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 537
1880s
537 births
- 1890s 1,209
1890s
1,209 births
- 1900s 864
1900s
864 births
- 1910s 1,578
1910s
1,578 births
- 1920s 1,466
1920s
1,466 births
- 1930s 1,289
1930s
1,289 births
- 1940s 1,306
1940s
1,306 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,508 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,746 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,551 births
- 1980s 2,083
1980s
2,083 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,197 births
- 2000s
2000s
3,359 births
- 2010s
2010s
5,449 births
- 2020s 1,568
2020s
1,568 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 5,449 births (18% of all-time use).
How Elsa 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 Elsa's total volume
Elsa by state
Where Elsa concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 5,273 | 17.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 4,742 | 15.4% |
| #3 | New York | | 2,634 | 8.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 1,382 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Minnesota | | 752 | 2.4% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 725 | 2.4% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 655 | 2.1% |
| #8 | Florida | | 597 | 1.9% |
5,273 of 30,710 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Elsa appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Elsa? ▼
Where does Elsa sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Elsa most popular? ▼
Where is Elsa most popular? ▼
How long has the name Elsa been used? ▼
What names are similar to Elsa? ▼
What to do with Elsa's data
- Elsa's decade-level peak was the 2010s (5,449 total births); usage has since declined to 1,568 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Elsas (5,273 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 Elsa
Nearby Names Like Elsa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elsa
Compare Elsa side by side: Elsa vs Elsie Elsa vs Elsy Elsa vs Elspeth
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Elsa
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Elsa: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2014)
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 Elsa 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.