Total births
190,072
Girls' name · since 1880
Elsie
190,072 babies named Elsie in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #155
- among girls today
- 190,072
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.1%
- more common than other girls
190,072 babies have been named Elsie since 1880, making it today's #155 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elsie has been recorded 190,072 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #155 nationally and more common than 99.1% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. 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.
- #155 among girls today
- 190,072 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 99.1% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Elsie is currently the #155 girls' name in America, more common than 99.1% of girls - 190,072 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #155
- among girls today
- 190,072
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.1%
- more common than other girls
Elsie vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#155
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.1% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Elsie was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
5,194 babies were named Elsie in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Elsie compares
190,072 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
Elsie's all-time total is 498x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Elsie | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 190,072 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 5,194 | 48 | 19,840 |
Elsie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Elsie's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 17% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 83%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1978, with only 97 births recorded -- set against the 1918 peak of 5,194, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Elsie at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1918
Current rank
#155
Active since
1880
Elsie popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 5,194
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Elsie popularity over time - boys
886 total births recorded since 1880 (Elsie as boys' name)
Elsie by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Elsie's strongest decade.
42,098 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Elsie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 6,648
1880s
6,648 births
- 1890s 16,375
1890s
16,375 births
- 1900s
1900s
18,452 births
- 1910s
1910s
39,274 births
- 1920s
1920s
42,098 births
- 1930s
1930s
22,345 births
- 1940s 11,223
1940s
11,223 births
- 1950s 5,356
1950s
5,356 births
- 1960s 2,564
1960s
2,564 births
- 1970s 1,295
1970s
1,295 births
- 1980s 1,174
1980s
1,174 births
- 1990s 1,456
1990s
1,456 births
- 2000s 2,597
2000s
2,597 births
- 2010s 9,134
2010s
9,134 births
- 2020s 10,081
2020s
10,081 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 42,098 births (22% of all-time use).
How Elsie 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 Elsie's total volume
Elsie vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Elsie by state
Where Elsie concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 11,596 | 6.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 11,143 | 5.9% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 6,752 | 3.6% |
| #4 | Virginia | | 6,632 | 3.5% |
| #5 | Texas | | 6,385 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 6,177 | 3.2% |
| #7 | California | | 6,065 | 3.2% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 6,005 | 3.2% |
Pennsylvania share of Elsie's total US births 6.1%
Even split
11,596 of 190,072 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Elsie appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Elsie? ▼
Elsie has been given to 190,072 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #155 as of the latest data. 5,194 babies were born in 1918, its single highest year.
When was Elsie most popular? ▼
Elsie was most popular in the 1920s decade with 42,098 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Elsie most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Elsie are Pennsylvania (11,596 births), New York (11,143 births), Illinois (6,752 births).
How long has the name Elsie been used? ▼
Records for Elsie go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Elsie? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elsa, Elsy, Elspeth, Elsbeth, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Elsie's data
- Elsie's decade-level peak was the 1920s (42,098 total births); usage has since declined to 10,081 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Elsies (11,596 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania 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 Elsie
Nearby Names Like Elsie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elsie
Elsa Girl
#938 30,710 births
Elsy Girl
#2210 1,832 births
Elspeth Girl
#6193 919 births
Elsbeth Girl
#15388 752 births
Else Girl
514 births
Compare Elsie side by side: Elsie vs Elsa Elsie vs Elsy Elsie vs Elspeth
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Elsie
Emersyn #154
22,246 births · Peak 2022
Oaklynn #156
11,766 births · Peak 2025
Sloane #153
24,670 births · Peak 2025
Oakley #157
15,360 births · Peak 2025
June #152
205,556 births · Peak 1925
Blakely #158
20,802 births · Peak 2024
Emerson #151
34,050 births · Peak 2025
Piper #159
62,718 births · Peak 2015
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. "Elsie: #155 Girls' Name - 190,072 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/elsie. 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 Elsie 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.