Elsie
Elsie was the 123rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,236 babies. Its best year was 1896, when it ranked 31st; the most babies were born in 1918 (5,194). Over the last ten years it has moved up 263 places. More babies were named Elsie in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Elizabeth (via Elspeth) · Scottish, Hebrew
Say it EL-see /ˈɛlsi/
- Rank in 2025
- #123 girls, up 110 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,236girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19185,194 babies
- Total since 1880
- 190,958babies recorded
What does the name Elsie mean?
Elsie is a Scottish pet form of Elspeth, the Scottish form of Elizabeth; Wikipedia gives this origin, and Wiktionary adds that it also served for Alison and Alice. Elizabeth comes from Hebrew Elisheva, which DMNES glosses 'my God is an oath'. Wikipedia notes that Elsie has been used as an independent name since the 1800s and has recently become popular again.
Elspeth (Scots, “Elizabeth”)אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Biblical Hebrew, “Elisheva, my God is an oath”)
How sure is this? Probable. Usually a pet form of Elizabeth (via Elspeth); sometimes of Alice or Alison.
Related names: Elspeth, Elizabeth, Elsa, Elise, Alison.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Elsie', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Elsie (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Elizabeth', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
Elsie popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 886 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #123 | 2,236 |
| 2020 | #233 | 1,270 |
| 2010 | #639 | 462 |
| 2000 | #1,301 | 147 |
| 1990 | #1,190 | 144 |
| 1980 | #1,125 | 121 |
| 1970 | #848 | 159 |
| 1960 | #518 | 348 |
| 1950 | #294 | 689 |
| 1940 | #151 | 1,466 |
| 1930 | #88 | 2,973 |
| 1920 | #51 | 4,993 |
| 1910 | #44 | 2,141 |
| 1900 | #38 | 2,045 |
| 1890 | #45 | 1,220 |
| 1880 | #78 | 301 |
How popular is Elsie, counting every spelling?
Elsie is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #142 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #123 for Elsie on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,378 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elsie | 2,236 | #123 | 8,811 |
| Elsy | 78 | #2,341 | 494 |
| Elsi | 17 | #6,619 | 102 |
| Ellsie | 15 | #7,231 | 72 |
| Elzie | 15 | #7,236 | 57 |
| Elsey | 11 | #9,030 | 51 |
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 Elsie?
2,236 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Elsie (0.62 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Elsie 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 4 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Elsie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Elsie?
About 43,000 people born in the US named Elsie are alive today, with a median age of 25; half are between 7 and 77. That makes Elsie mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Elsie by state
How common Elsie was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (5.7×), South Dakota (4.8×), Montana (4.1×), Idaho (4.0×), Nebraska (3.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Delaware, Rhode Island, District of Columbia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Elsie: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Elsie, they share its era and feel.
Elsie is also a nickname for Elizabeth.
Questions about the name Elsie
What does Elsie mean?
Elsie means “pet form of Elizabeth (via Elspeth)” (Scottish, Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Elsie?
Elsie was the 123rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,236 babies. Its best year was 1896, when it ranked 31st; the most babies were born in 1918 (5,194). Over the last ten years it has moved up 263 places. More babies were named Elsie in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Elsie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Elsie in the US.
Where is Elsie most popular?
In 2021–2025, Elsie was most common in North Dakota (6.24 per 1,000 girls), followed by South Dakota and Montana.