Eldrige
A masculine given name of Old English origin meaning "prosperous ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 17 living Americans carry the first name Eldrige. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eldrige today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eldrige births was 1920 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eldrige. 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 Eldrige is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Eldriges were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Eldrige. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
17
~ 1 in 20,162,020 Americans
Peak year
1920
12 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1965 SSA rank
#4,062
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Eldrige: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eldrige from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 64 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eldrige 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 Eldrige 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 Eldrige
The given name Eldrige has its origins rooted in Old English and Germanic languages. It is believed to have derived from the elements "ald" meaning "old" and "ric" meaning "ruler" or "powerful." The combination of these elements suggests that the name Eldrige was initially associated with someone who was an elder or a leader of significant influence within a community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eldrige can be traced back to the 9th century, where it appeared in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an annual record of events in Anglo-Saxon England. This suggests that the name was in use during the medieval period in England.
In the 11th century, a notable figure named Eldrige the Wise was mentioned in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their possessions in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Eldrige the Wise was a renowned scholar and advisor to the King, known for his profound wisdom and knowledge.
During the 13th century, a prominent knight named Sir Eldrige of Coventry was celebrated for his bravery and military prowess in the crusades. His exploits were documented in various chronicles and ballads of the time, further solidifying the name's association with strength and valor.
In the realm of literature, the name Eldrige appears in Geoffrey Chaucer's famous work "The Canterbury Tales," written in the late 14th century. One of the pilgrims was a wealthy landowner named Eldrige, portrayed as a wise and respected figure among his peers.
Fast forward to the 16th century, a renowned English explorer and navigator, Sir Eldrige Hawkins, played a significant role in the establishment of trade routes and colonies in the West Indies. His daring voyages and contributions to the expansion of the British Empire were well-documented in historical accounts of the time.
These are just a few examples of notable figures throughout history who bore the name Eldrige, illustrating its long-standing presence and the varying contexts in which it has been used, from scholarly pursuits to military exploits and exploration.
People
Eldrige + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eldrige 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
Eldrige: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eldrige?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 17 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eldrige 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 Eldrige a common name?
We classify Eldrige 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, 132 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eldrige most popular?
The single biggest year for Eldrige was 1920, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eldrige is about 81 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 Eldrige in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eldrige a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eldrige in the SSA data are male. 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 Eldrige still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eldrige 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 Eldrige 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 named Eldrige?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.