Elves
Small supernatural beings from folklore, often depicted as humanoids with pointed ears.
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Elves. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Elves today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elves births was 1960 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elves. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Elves. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1960
8 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
1960 SSA rank
#3,163
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Elves: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elves from the 1920s through to the 1960s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 8 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elves 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 Elves during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elves' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Elves
The name Elves is derived from the Old English word "ælf," which referred to a supernatural being or sprite from Germanic mythology. This term has its roots in the Proto-Germanic "*albi-z," meaning "elf." The earliest known use of the name Elves dates back to the 8th century, when it appeared in the epic poem "Beowulf" as a reference to the monstrous creatures known as "elves."
In ancient Norse mythology, elves were considered to be minor deities or nature spirits who lived in the forests and mountains. They were often associated with fertility, magic, and the natural world. The name Elves was also prevalent in the Icelandic Eddas, a collection of Old Norse poems and stories compiled in the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Elves was Elves of Munster, an Irish monk and chronicler who lived in the 9th century. He is known for his work, "The Annals of Inisfallen," which documented the history of the Irish kingdom of Munster.
Another notable figure with the name Elves was Elves the Grammarian, a 12th-century Icelandic scholar and author of the first Icelandic grammar textbook. His work played a significant role in the preservation and study of the Old Norse language.
In the 14th century, a Dutch painter named Elves Mostaert gained recognition for his religious paintings and portraits. His works are preserved in various museums across Europe, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
During the Renaissance period, Elves Danti was an Italian mathematician and cosmographer who served as a professor at the University of Bologna. He is best known for his contributions to the study of geography and cartography.
In the realm of literature, Elves Silvertop was the pen name of English writer and poet John Addington Symonds, who lived from 1840 to 1893. He wrote numerous works on Renaissance literature and culture, as well as several volumes of poetry.
While the name Elves has its origins in ancient mythology and folklore, it has endured throughout history, with various individuals bearing this unique moniker and leaving their mark across various fields.
People
Elves + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elves 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
Elves: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elves?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elves 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Elves a common name?
We classify Elves as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elves most popular?
The single biggest year for Elves was 1960, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elves is about 64 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 Elves in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elves a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elves 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 Elves still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elves 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 Elves 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 share the name Elves?
Want to know how many Americans are named Elves? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.