US rank #2073 Boys' name Peak 1920 21,292 births

Elton — #2073 US boys' name

21,292 babies named Elton 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.

1880s1291890s1761900s3681910s22421920s35351930s27151940s23211950s27241960s16301970s18441980s10771990s8082000s6942010s6082020s421
#2073
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 85% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

17% of everyone ever named Elton was born in this single decade.

1920
Single peak year

394 babies were named Elton in 1920 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Elton

The Social Security Administration has registered 21,292 babies named Elton between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Elton currently holds the #2073 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1920, when 394 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Elton performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 3,535 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Elton shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Texas, which accounts for 2,534 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Louisiana and North Carolina. In total, SSA state-level files list Elton in 42 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Elton 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 21,292 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.

Elton at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

21,292

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1920

394 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#2,073

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Elton popularity over time — boys

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

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1920)
394
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1000100200300400500 202420061988197019521934191618981880 7

Elton popularity over time — girls

200 total births recorded since 1903 (Elton as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 200 births
46810121416 2021193619291924192019151903 6

Elton by decade

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

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
3,535 births that decade — 17% of Elton's all-time total
1880s1291890s1761900s3681910s22421920s35351930s27151940s23211950s27241960s16301970s18441980s10771990s8082000s6942010s6082020s421

Elton by state

Where Elton concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Elton
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
2,534 11.9%
#2 Louisiana
1,710 8.0%
#3 North Carolina
1,115 5.2%
#4 California
1,061 5.0%
#5 New York
897 4.2%
#6 Georgia
777 3.6%
#7 Mississippi
710 3.3%
#8 Michigan
622 2.9%
Texas share of Elton's total US births 11.9%
Even split

2,534 of 21,292 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 42 reporting states.

Elton appears in 42 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Elton?
21,292 babies have been named Elton since 1880. It currently ranks #2073 among boys. The peak year was 1920 with 394 births.
When was Elton most popular?
Elton was most popular in the 1920s decade with 3,535 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Elton most popular?
The top states for the name Elton are Texas (2,534 births), Louisiana (1,710 births), North Carolina (1,115 births).
How long has the name Elton been used?
Elton has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.

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.