Total births
30,710
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.
- #938
- among girls today
- 30,710
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Elsa currently ranks #938 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 #938 nationally today, ahead of 95% 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.
- #938 among girls today
- 30,710 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Elsa is currently the #938 girls' name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 30,710 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #938
- among girls today
- 30,710
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Elsa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#938
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Elsa was born in this single decade.
2014
Single peak year
1,140 babies were named Elsa in 2014 - its busiest year on record.
How Elsa compares
30,710 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Elsa's all-time total is 80x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Elsa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 30,710 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,140 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2014
Current rank
#938
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
California share of Elsa's total US births 17.2%
Even split
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? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 30,710 babies named Elsa. Today it holds rank #938 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2014, with 1,140 births.
When was Elsa most popular? ▼
Elsa was most popular in the 2010s decade with 5,449 total births. The single peak year was 2014.
Where is Elsa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Elsa are California (5,273 births), Texas (4,742 births), New York (2,634 births).
How long has the name Elsa been used? ▼
Elsa has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Elsa? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elsie, Elsy, Elspeth, Elsbeth, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
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
- 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 Elsa
Nearby Names Like Elsa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elsa
Elsie Girl
#155 190,072 births
Elsy Girl
#2210 1,832 births
Elspeth Girl
#6193 919 births
Elsbeth Girl
#15388 752 births
Else Girl
514 births
Compare Elsa side by side: Elsa vs Elsie Elsa vs Elsy Elsa vs Elspeth
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Elsa
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. "Elsa: #938 Girls' Name - 30,710 Births, Peak 2014." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/elsa. 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 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 June 2026.