Elle
Elle was the 461st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 668 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 355th with 890 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 64 places. More babies were named Elle in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Eleanor and other El- names · English, French
Say it EL /ɛl/
- Rank in 2025
- #461 girls, down 91 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 668girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2019890 babies
- Total since 1880
- 19,247babies recorded
What does the name Elle mean?
Elle began as a short form of Eleanor and other names beginning with El-, as Wiktionary notes, and is now given on its own. It is also the French word for "she", which the fashion magazine Elle uses. DMNES calls Eleanor of uncertain origin, so Elle has no fixed meaning beyond being a pet form.
How sure is this? Well established. Clearly a short form; its parent names (Eleanor and others) have uncertain or differing meanings.
Related names: Ellie, Eleanor, Ella, Elena.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Elle', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Eleanor', DMNES, Durham University
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Elle popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #461 | 668 |
| 2020 | #370 | 842 |
| 2010 | #420 | 750 |
| 2000 | #1,130 | 181 |
| 1990 | #1,637 | 91 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Elle, counting every spelling?
Elle has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #475 for girls in 2025, against #461 on the official list, because Jazlyn/Jazlynn/Jazzlyn and Arlette/Arlet/Arlett and Camryn/Kamryn/Kamrynn move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Elle?
668 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Elle (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Elle 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 13 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Elle.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Elle?
About 19,100 people born in the US named Elle are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 7 and 19. That makes Elle 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.
Elle by state
How common Elle was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (3.7×), Louisiana (2.0×), Utah (2.0×), Massachusetts (1.9×), Connecticut (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nebraska, Idaho, Oregon.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Elle: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Elle, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Elle · Sibling names for Elle
Elle is also a nickname for Eleanor, Danielle and Gabrielle.
Questions about the name Elle
What does Elle mean?
Elle means “short form of Eleanor and other El- names” (English, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Elle?
Elle was the 461st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 668 babies. Its best year was 2019, when it ranked 355th with 890 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 64 places. More babies were named Elle in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Elle a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Elle in the US.
Where is Elle most popular?
In 2021–2025, Elle was most common in District of Columbia (1.69 per 1,000 girls), followed by Hawaii and Louisiana.