Ehlana
A feminine name originating from Native American roots, representing feminine grace and beauty.
Name Census estimates that about 56 living Americans carry the first name Ehlana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ehlana today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ehlana births was 1994 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ehlana. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ehlana with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ehlana. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
56
~ 1 in 6,120,613 Americans
Peak year
1994
8 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2020 SSA rank
#15,765
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Ehlana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ehlana from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 30 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ehlana by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ehlana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ehlana
The name Ehlana originates from the ancient Sumerian language, one of the earliest known written languages dating back to around 3500 BC in the region of Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. It is derived from the Sumerian words "eh-la-na," which roughly translate to "radiant beauty" or "shining one."
Ehlana was a relatively common name among the upper classes of Sumerian society, often given to daughters born into noble or priestly families. Archaeologists have uncovered inscriptions and clay tablets bearing the name Ehlana, suggesting its usage during the Early Dynastic Period of Sumer (circa 2900-2350 BC).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ehlana can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian literary work dating back to around 2100 BC. In this epic, Ehlana is mentioned as the name of a priestess serving in the temple of the goddess Ishtar.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ehlana. One of the most famous was Ehlana of Ur (born c. 2500 BC), a high priestess of the moon god Nanna in the city of Ur, renowned for her wisdom and influence in religious matters during the Third Dynasty of Ur.
Another prominent figure was Ehlana of Babylon (born c. 1800 BC), a renowned scholar and astrologer who served as an advisor to the Babylonian king Hammurabi. Her writings on celestial observations and astrological interpretations were highly regarded in ancient Mesopotamia.
In the realm of mythology, Ehlana was also the name of a minor Sumerian goddess associated with beauty, fertility, and the protection of newborns. She was often depicted in artwork and inscriptions alongside other deities of the Sumerian pantheon.
During the Neo-Babylonian Empire (circa 626-539 BC), Ehlana was the name of a prominent musician and singer who performed in the royal court of King Nebuchadnezzar II. Her talents were widely celebrated, and she was known for composing hymns and songs in praise of the Babylonian gods.
In more recent times, Ehlana was the name of a renowned archaeologist born in 1932 in modern-day Iraq, who dedicated her life to uncovering and preserving the ancient Sumerian sites and artifacts. Her work contributed significantly to our understanding of the Sumerian civilization and its cultural heritage.
People
Ehlana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ehlana as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ehlana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ehlana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 56 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ehlana going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 6,120,613 US residents.
Is Ehlana a common name?
We classify Ehlana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 57 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ehlana most popular?
The single biggest year for Ehlana was 1994, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ehlana is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ehlana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ehlana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ehlana in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ehlana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ehlana in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ehlana can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Ehlana?
See how many people have the name Ehlana on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.