Elyce
A feminine name derived from the Old French form of Elizabeth.
Name Census estimates that about 733 living Americans carry the first name Elyce. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Elyce today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elyce births was 1987 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elyce. 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
733
~ 1 in 467,605 Americans
Peak year
1987
28 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,929
Tracked since 1945
Popularity
Elyce: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elyce from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 154 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elyce 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 Elyce during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elyces live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Elyce, while Pennsylvania, California, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Elyce
The given name Elyce is a feminine form derived from the Greek name Ελυσια (Elysia), which means "from Elysian Fields". The Elysian Fields were a conception of the afterlife in ancient Greek mythology, a paradisiacal realm reserved for the virtuous.
The name Elyce is believed to have originated in ancient Greece, as early as the 5th century BC. It was likely inspired by the concept of the Elysian Fields, which were often mentioned in Greek literature and mythology, such as in Homer's Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Elyce can be found in the works of the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes, who lived from 446 BC to 386 BC. In his play "The Frogs", a character named Elyce is briefly mentioned.
During the Byzantine era, there are records of a nun named Elyce who lived in the 6th century AD. She is believed to have been a follower of the monastic traditions established by Saint Basil the Great.
In the 12th century, Elyce de Warenne was a prominent English noblewoman who was married to William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln. She played a significant role in the political affairs of her time and was known for her intelligence and influence.
Another notable figure with the name Elyce was Elyce Jennings (1870-1949), an American actress and playwright. She was a prominent figure in the early 20th century theater scene and was known for her performances in various Broadway productions.
During the Renaissance period, Elyce Tolentino (1492-1570) was an Italian painter and illustrator. She was renowned for her intricate and detailed illuminations of religious manuscripts and is considered one of the most skilled artists of her time.
In more recent history, Elyce Hartman (1914-2001) was an American educator and civil rights activist. She dedicated her life to promoting equal education opportunities and advocating for desegregation in schools, making significant contributions to the civil rights movement.
People
Elyce + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elyce 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
Elyce: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elyce?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 733 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elyce 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 467,605 US residents.
Is Elyce a common name?
We classify Elyce as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 823 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elyce most popular?
The single biggest year for Elyce was 1987, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elyce is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Elyce a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elyce 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.