Elaine

Did you know?

A few things about Elaine you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Elaine

Elaine Thompson-Herah

Jamaican athletics competitor

Choose Elaine and your child shares a first name with Elaine Thompson-Herah, a Jamaican athletics competitor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Elaine, like who?” Elaine Thompson-Herah's Wikipedia article is available in 51 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Elaine Thompson-Herah on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Erik van Leeuwen, attribution: Erik van Leeuwen (bron: Wikipedia)., GFDL (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,596 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Elaine, 1,007 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Elaine would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryElaine has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Elaines, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1938, when it ranked #42. Today it's #304, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowElaine is 2.5× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 4,010 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 1,596.
• 🚀TrendElaine has climbed 215 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #304. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedElaine is most popular in Iowa, where it ranks #126, followed by Delaware (#167) and Kansas (#172). It's in the top 1,000 in 39 states.
• 💬MeaningElaine is a French form of Helen, which means “possibly light”. Our records link it to English, French and Greek roots.

About the name Elaine

Elaine is a girl name of English, French and Greek origin meaning “possibly light”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with E and ending in “-ine”. US birth records list Elaine for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 143 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1938, when it ranked #42 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #304, with 1,007 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench namesGreek names