Elaina
Elaina was the 267th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,176 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 250th; the most babies were born in 2024 (1,256). Over the last ten years it has moved up 25 places. More babies were named Elaina in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning variant of Elaine (Helen) · Greek, French
Say it ih-LAY-nuh /ɪˈleɪnə/
- Rank in 2025
- #267 girls, down 17 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,176girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20241,256 babies
- Total since 1880
- 32,220babies recorded
What does the name Elaina mean?
Elaina is a modern spelling variant of Elaine, according to Wiktionary. Elaine is the Old French form of Helen that spread through the Arthurian romances, as DMNES notes in its Ellen entry. Helen goes back to Greek Helenē, whose ultimate origin is uncertain; the often-repeated link with Greek words for "torch" or "light" is not established. Elaina, like Elena and Alaina, is mainly a 20th-century American spelling.
Ἑλένη (Ancient Greek, “Helen (origin uncertain)”)
How sure is this? Well established. Elaina as a variant of Elaine is clear; the meaning of the root name Helen is uncertain.
Other explanations you may read: Helen means 'light' or 'torch'.
Related names: Elaine, Elena, Alaina, Helen.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Elaina', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Ellen', DMNES, Durham University
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Nicknames for Elaina
The usual nicknames for Elaina are Lainey. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Elaina in the last five years, 296 were named Lainey, against 44 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lainey · also for Alaina, Elaine | Modern | #30 | 17,762 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Elainas go by each one.
Elaina popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #267 | 1,176 |
| 2020 | #250 | 1,209 |
| 2010 | #393 | 813 |
| 2000 | #506 | 534 |
| 1990 | #814 | 242 |
| 1980 | #898 | 169 |
| 1970 | #1,183 | 97 |
| 1960 | #1,470 | 56 |
| 1950 | #2,203 | 20 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Elaina, counting every spelling?
Elaina is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #225 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #267 for Elaina on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,536 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elaina | 1,176 | #267 | 6,005 |
| Elayna | 171 | #1,301 | 880 |
| Ilana | 71 | #2,496 | 419 |
| Eleina | 33 | #4,287 | 156 |
| Ilona | 38 | #3,861 | 124 |
| Ellaina | 10 | #9,635 | 81 |
| Elainna | 10 | #9,629 | 44 |
| Elainah | 6 | #13,677 | 34 |
| Ellayna | 5 | #15,574 | 32 |
| Elaena | 7 | #12,262 | 32 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Elaina?
1,176 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Elaina (0.33 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Elaina born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Elaina.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Elaina?
About 31,600 people born in the US named Elaina are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 7 and 26. That makes Elaina mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Elaina by state
How common Elaina was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (3.1×), Maine (3.1×), Montana (2.6×), New Hampshire (2.5×), Kentucky (2.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, New Jersey, Delaware.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Elaina: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Elaina, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Elaina · Sibling names for Elaina
Questions about the name Elaina
What does Elaina mean?
Elaina means “variant of Elaine (Helen)” (Greek, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Elaina?
Elaina was the 267th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,176 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 250th; the most babies were born in 2024 (1,256). Over the last ten years it has moved up 25 places. More babies were named Elaina in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Elaina a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Elaina in the US.
Where is Elaina most popular?
In 2021–2025, Elaina was most common in West Virginia (2.33 per 1,000 girls), followed by Maine and Montana.