Elainah
A feminine name of English origin meaning "bright shining one".
Name Census estimates that about 178 living Americans carry the first name Elainah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Elainah today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elainah births was 2013 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elainah. 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.
People living today
178
~ 1 in 1,925,586 Americans
Peak year
2013
16 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,526
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Elainah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elainah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 113 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Elainah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elainah 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 Elainah 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 Elainah
The name Elainah is a variant spelling of the Hebrew name Elaina, which is derived from the biblical name Elina, meaning "oak tree" or "sun ray." The name can be traced back to ancient Semitic languages and cultures of the Middle East, particularly in the region of modern-day Israel and the Levant.
The earliest known reference to the name Elaina can be found in the Book of Numbers in the Hebrew Bible, where it is mentioned as the name of one of the daughters of Zelophehad. This biblical reference dates back to around the 13th century BCE, indicating the name's longstanding presence in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Throughout history, the name Elainah and its variants have been borne by several notable figures. One such figure was Elaina of Bethany, a 4th-century Christian martyr who was executed for her faith during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Another notable bearer of the name was Elaina Sibylla, a 12th-century Byzantine princess and scholar who was known for her intellect and literary works.
In the medieval period, the name Elainah gained popularity in various European regions, particularly in England and France. One of the earliest recorded examples is Elaina of Falaise, a Norman noblewoman who lived in the 11th century and was the daughter of William the Conqueror.
Another historical figure with this name was Elaina de Montfort, a 13th-century English noblewoman and crusader who participated in the Seventh Crusade alongside her husband, Simon de Montfort. She played a significant role in the conflicts between the Plantagenets and the Capetian dynasty in France.
In the Renaissance era, the name Elainah was borne by Elaina Lucrezia Cornaro, a 16th-century Venetian writer and poet who was renowned for her literary works and patronage of the arts. She was a member of the influential Cornaro family and was celebrated for her intellect and cultural contributions.
As the name Elainah and its variants have traveled across cultures and time periods, it has maintained its connection to nature, strength, and resilience, reflecting the enduring legacy of its ancient origins.
People
Elainah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elainah 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
Elainah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elainah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 178 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elainah 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 1,925,586 US residents.
Is Elainah a common name?
We classify Elainah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 179 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elainah most popular?
The single biggest year for Elainah was 2013, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elainah is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Elainah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elainah 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.
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.