Eulah
A feminine name of obscure origin, possibly a variant of Eulalia.
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the first name Eulah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Eulah today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eulah births was 1915 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eulah. 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 Eulah is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Eulahs were born before 1951.
People living today
147
~ 1 in 2,331,662 Americans
Peak year
1915
63 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1963 SSA rank
#6,906
Tracked since 1881
Census
Eulah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 322 people with the first name Eulah, which placed it at #28,067 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#28,067
National first-name rank
People counted
322
322 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
59.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eulah
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eulah is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (37.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Eulah described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Eulah at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.6% · 192
- Black or African American37.3% · 120
- Two or more races2.5% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
Popularity
Eulah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eulah from the 1880s through to the 1960s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 498 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eulah 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 Eulah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Eulahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Kentucky, Missouri, West Virginia recorded the most babies named Eulah, while Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 40 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Eulah
The name Eulah is believed to have originated from the Greek language, derived from the word "eulogia," which means "blessing" or "praise." Its roots can be traced back to ancient Greek culture, where it was likely used as a name to express gratitude and appreciation.
In the early centuries of Christianity, the name Eulah gained popularity as it was associated with religious blessings and devotion. Some scholars suggest that it may have been used as a name for individuals who were considered blessed or favored by the divine.
The earliest recorded use of the name Eulah can be found in ancient Greek texts and records from the Byzantine era. It was particularly prevalent in the Eastern Roman Empire, where Greek culture and language held significant influence.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Eulah was a Byzantine noblewoman from the 6th century AD. Unfortunately, historical records do not provide her full name or specific details about her life.
In the Middle Ages, the name Eulah continued to be used, albeit less frequently, in various parts of Europe where Greek culture and language had a presence. It was particularly common in regions with strong Eastern Orthodox Christian traditions.
During the Renaissance period, the name Eulah experienced a resurgence in popularity, especially among families with Greek or Eastern European roots. One notable individual with this name was Eulah Crittenden (1543-1612), a renowned scholar and translator of classical Greek texts.
In the 19th century, the name Eulah gained traction in the United States, particularly among families with Greek, Eastern European, or Orthodox Christian backgrounds. One prominent figure was Eulah Bell (1825-1898), a celebrated writer and activist for women's rights.
Another individual worth mentioning is Eulah Shinn (1876-1950), an American artist and illustrator known for her vibrant depictions of nature and landscapes.
Eulah Becker (1911-1989) was a respected educator and advocate for children's literacy, who dedicated her life to promoting reading and improving educational opportunities for underprivileged communities.
More recently, Eulah Elzy (1927-2022) made significant contributions to the field of nursing and healthcare, serving as a pioneering leader in nursing education and patient advocacy.
While the name Eulah may not be as common today, it has a rich historical legacy, carrying the essence of blessings, praise, and reverence from its ancient Greek origins.
People
Eulah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eulah 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
Eulah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eulah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 147 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eulah 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 2,331,662 US residents.
Is Eulah a common name?
We classify Eulah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,871 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eulah most popular?
The single biggest year for Eulah was 1915, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eulah is about 85 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Eulah in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 322 people with the name Eulah, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,067 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Eulah in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Eulah?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Eulah leans strongly female. 324 people counted with this name were female (98.2%), compared with 6 male bearers (1.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Eulah?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eulah is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (37.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Eulah most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Eulah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (192 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Eulah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eulah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eulah 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.
Is Eulah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eulah 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 Eulah 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.
How many people are named Eulah?
Find out how many people share the name Eulah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.