Elra
A feminine name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Elra. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Elra today is around 96 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elra births was 1919 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elra. 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 Elra is about 96 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Elras were born before 1940.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Elra. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1919
8 babies that year
Average age
96
years old
1935 SSA rank
#3,823
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Elra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elra from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 22 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Elra remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elra 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 Elra 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 Elra
The name Elra is believed to have originated from the ancient Germanic language, with roots that can be traced back to the early medieval period. Elra is thought to be derived from the Old Germanic word "elira," which means "noble" or "illustrious." It was a popular name among the Germanic tribes that inhabited parts of modern-day Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Elra can be found in the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century manuscript containing fragments of a Gothic translation of the Bible. In this text, the name Elra appears as a variant spelling of the biblical name Eleazar, which means "God has helped" in Hebrew.
During the Middle Ages, Elra gained popularity as a given name among the nobility and upper classes in various parts of Europe. One notable figure bearing this name was Elra of Saxony (c. 1020-1088), a German noblewoman and abbess of the Gandersheim Abbey in present-day Lower Saxony, Germany.
In the 12th century, Elra appeared in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of literature that preserves the history, mythology, and cultural traditions of the Norse people. One example is Elra Sveinsdóttir, a character mentioned in the Saga of the Sturlungs, which chronicles the lives of Icelandic chieftains and their families.
Another historical figure with the name Elra was Elra of Arles (c. 1160-1235), a French noblewoman and troubadour from the region of Provence. She was known for her skill in composing lyric poetry and is considered one of the few female troubadours of the medieval period.
In the 16th century, Elra was used as a given name in England, as evidenced by the birth records of Elra Whitmore (1572-1633), a wealthy landowner and merchant from Gloucestershire.
Throughout history, the name Elra has also been used in various other cultures and regions, although its origins and meanings may have differed slightly. For instance, in certain African languages, the name Elra is believed to mean "the chosen one" or "the favored one."
People
Elra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elra 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
Elra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elra 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Elra a common name?
We classify Elra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 51 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elra most popular?
The single biggest year for Elra was 1919, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elra is about 96 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 Elra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elra a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elra 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 Elra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elra 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 Elra 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 common is the name Elra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.