Eldene
Of uncertain etymology, potentially derived from Old English elements meaning "old" and "valley".
Name Census estimates that about 17 living Americans carry the first name Eldene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Eldene today is around 86 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eldene births was 1918 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eldene. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Eldene is about 86 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Eldenes were born before 1950.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Eldene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
17
~ 1 in 20,162,020 Americans
Peak year
1918
9 babies that year
Average age
86
years old
1944 SSA rank
#4,758
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Eldene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eldene from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 54 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Eldene remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eldene 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 Eldene 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 Eldene
The given name Eldene is a unique and relatively uncommon name with obscure origins. It is believed to have emerged from a combination of the Old English elements "eld" meaning "old" or "ancient" and "dene" meaning "valley" or "hollow." This suggests that the name may have originated in areas of England where Old English dialects were spoken, potentially referring to an ancient valley or settlement.
Eldene does not seem to have any direct references in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records. However, its components, "eld" and "dene," can be traced back to Old English literature and documents from the 5th to 11th centuries, indicating that the name likely developed during this period or shortly after.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eldene comes from the 13th century, where it appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, England, as the name of a landowner or tenant. However, the specific details surrounding this individual are scarce.
Throughout history, there are a few notable individuals who bore the given name Eldene:
1. Eldene Ackerman (1892-1978), an American author and journalist known for her work on children's literature and educational materials.
2. Eldene Whittaker (1910-1991), an American painter and artist who was active in the San Francisco Bay Area art scene during the mid-20th century.
3. Eldene Wilson (born 1938), a former Australian politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, representing the electorate of Pine Rivers from 1974 to 1983.
4. Eldene Graham (born 1940), an American author and historian who has written extensively on the history of the American West and Native American culture.
5. Eldene Masunungure (born 1963), a Zimbabwean academic and political scientist who has served as the executive director of the Mass Public Opinion Institute, a research organization based in Harare.
While the name Eldene has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, these individuals have contributed to various fields, including literature, art, politics, and academia, demonstrating the diversity of backgrounds and accomplishments associated with this unique given name.
People
Eldene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eldene 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
Eldene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eldene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 17 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eldene 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 20,162,020 US residents.
Is Eldene a common name?
We classify Eldene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 37.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 129 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eldene most popular?
The single biggest year for Eldene was 1918, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eldene is about 86 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 Eldene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eldene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eldene 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 Eldene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eldene 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 Eldene 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 Americans are named Eldene?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Eldene at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.