Elektra
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "bright, shining one".
Name Census estimates that about 800 living Americans carry the first name Elektra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Elektra today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elektra births was 2005 (79 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elektra. 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
800
~ 1 in 428,443 Americans
Peak year
2005
79 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,985
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Elektra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elektra from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 379 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elektra 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 Elektra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elektras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Elektra, while Missouri, Michigan, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Elektra
The name Elektra originates from the ancient Greek language and culture, with its roots tracing back to the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Greek word "elektron," meaning "amber" or "shining sun." The name carries connotations of radiance, brilliance, and luminosity.
In Greek mythology, Elektra was the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and her story is depicted in various ancient texts, including the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Her name is often associated with fierce loyalty, vengeance, and the pursuit of justice for her father's murder.
The earliest recorded example of the name Elektra can be found in ancient Greek literature, where it was used as a character name in the aforementioned tragedies. Over the centuries, the name has been adopted and adapted across various cultures and languages.
One of the most famous historical figures with the name Elektra was Elektra, the daughter of the Greek tragic poet Sophocles, who lived in the 5th century BCE. Another notable Elektra was a Greek princess from the island of Rhodes, who lived in the 2nd century BCE.
In the 16th century, the German composer and theorist Elektra Schmidtlein (1548-1618) made significant contributions to the development of music theory and notation.
During the 19th century, the name gained popularity in Europe, and one of the most renowned individuals with the name was Elektra Adalheid Paulina von Mettlerkamp (1829-1897), a German writer and women's rights advocate.
In the 20th century, the name Elektra was associated with the Austrian-American writer and psychoanalyst Elektra Karelitz (1907-1987), who wrote under the pen name Elektra Trachana.
Another notable figure was Elektra Waggaman Biggs (1853-1936), an American socialite and philanthropist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement and the establishment of the National Society of Patriotic Women of America.
People
Elektra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elektra 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
Elektra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elektra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 800 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elektra 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 428,443 US residents.
Is Elektra a common name?
We classify Elektra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 810 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elektra most popular?
The single biggest year for Elektra was 2005, when 79 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elektra is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Elektra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elektra 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.