Elvis
A masculine given name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from an Old Norse name element "Olvis".
Name Census estimates that about 14,621 living Americans carry the first name Elvis. It is a predominantly male name (99.2% of registrations). The average person named Elvis today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elvis births was 1957 (618 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elvis. 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
- • Although Elvis is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 152 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
15K
~ 1 in 23,443 Americans
Peak year
1957
618 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,169
Tracked since 1881
Gender
Gender distribution for Elvis
Out of the 17,976 babies given the name Elvis since 1880, 99.2% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Elvis as a male name
- Ranked #1,169 in 2024
- 177 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1957 (605 births)
Elvis as a female name
- Ranked #16,097 in 2007
- 6 female births in 2007
- Peak: 1957 (13 births)
Popularity
Elvis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elvis from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 2,936 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
Elvis 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 Elvis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elvis' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 37 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Elvis, while Alaska, South Dakota, District of Columbia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 360 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Elvis
The name Elvis is of Old English origin, derived from the word "aelfwine," which means "elf friend." The name was popular in medieval England and was often spelled as "Alvis" or "Alvys." It is believed to have originated around the 7th or 8th century AD.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Elvis can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Aluuinus," which was a common spelling variation at the time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Elvis. One of the earliest was Elvis the Bald (c. 810-884), a Frankish monk and scholar who wrote extensively on grammar and theology. Another early figure was Elvis of Munster (c. 1000-1058), an Irish abbot and saint who founded several monasteries in Ireland.
In more recent times, the name gained widespread recognition due to the legendary American singer and actor Elvis Presley (1935-1977). Presley, often referred to as "The King of Rock and Roll," was a cultural icon whose influence on popular music and fashion was immense. His impact on the entertainment industry and popular culture cannot be overstated.
Other notable individuals with the name Elvis include Elvis Grbac (born 1970), a former American football quarterback who played in the NFL from 1994 to 2001, and Elvis Costello (born 1954), the British singer-songwriter known for hits like "Alison" and "Veronica."
Additionally, Elvis Stojko (born 1972) is a Canadian figure skater and two-time Olympic silver medalist, while Elvis Mitchell (born 1956) is an American film critic and former host of the public radio show "The Treatment."
Notable bearers
Famous people named Elvis
People
Elvis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elvis 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
Elvis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elvis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14,621 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elvis 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 23,443 US residents.
Is Elvis a common name?
We classify Elvis as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17,976 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elvis most popular?
The single biggest year for Elvis was 1957, when 618 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elvis is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Elvis a male name?
Yes, 99.2% of people registered as Elvis 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.
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.