Elaia
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "olive tree" or "olive".
Name Census estimates that about 249 living Americans carry the first name Elaia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Elaia today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elaia births was 2024 (64 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elaia. 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 Elaia with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
249
~ 1 in 1,376,523 Americans
Peak year
2024
64 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,692
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Elaia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elaia from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 195 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elaia 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 Elaia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elaias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Elaia, while Florida, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Elaia
The name Elaia has its origins in Ancient Greek, derived from the word 'elaia' which translates to 'olive tree'. It was a popular name among the ancient Greeks, particularly in regions where olive cultivation was prevalent, such as Attica and the Peloponnese.
The earliest known reference to the name can be found in the works of Homer, the ancient Greek poet from the 8th century BC. In the Odyssey, Elaia is mentioned as a servant to Penelope, the wife of Odysseus. This suggests that the name was in use during the Archaic period of ancient Greece.
During the Classical period, there are records of several notable individuals bearing the name Elaia. One such person was Elaia of Argos, a female athlete who competed in the Heraia Games, a series of athletic competitions held in honor of the goddess Hera in the 6th century BC.
In the 4th century BC, Elaia of Cyzicus was a prominent philosopher and follower of the Cynic school of thought. She was known for her ascetic lifestyle and her teachings on self-sufficiency and virtue.
In the Hellenistic period, Elaia of Alexandria was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 3rd century BC. She is credited with several important contributions to the field of astronomy, including the calculation of the circumference of the Earth and the development of a method for predicting solar eclipses.
Another notable figure bearing the name Elaia was Elaia of Sardis, a Greek historian from the 2nd century BC. She is best known for her work on the history of the Seleucid Empire, a major Hellenistic state that ruled over a vast territory spanning from Asia Minor to modern-day Afghanistan.
Throughout the centuries, the name Elaia has been carried by numerous individuals across the Greek-speaking world, although its popularity has waned in modern times. It remains a reminder of the rich cultural heritage and the reverence for olive trees in ancient Greek civilization.
People
Elaia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elaia 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
Elaia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elaia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 249 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elaia 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 1,376,523 US residents.
Is Elaia a common name?
We classify Elaia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 251 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elaia most popular?
The single biggest year for Elaia was 2024, when 64 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elaia is about 5 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 Elaia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elaia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elaia 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 Elaia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elaia 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 Elaia 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 many people are called Elaia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.