Elaine

Girl · French, perhaps from Greek

Elaine

Say it: ee-LAYN

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Old French form associated with Helen; the Arthurian Elaine of Astolat.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Became a real name after Tennyson's Idylls of the King (1859).

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1940s

In the United States

259,533 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 1945, about 1 in 222 girls
579 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

English American

The family of the name

Welsh	Elen
French	Hélène

Names worth a look

MarionGirlA medieval French pet form of Marie, with the diminutive ending -on.Middle Ages · peak 1917

EstherGirlUncertain. Usually derived from Persian stāra 'star' or from the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar; her Hebrew…Biblical · peak 1897

CarrieGirlA pet form of Caroline, the feminine of Carolus (Charles), from Germanic karl 'free man'.Victorian · peak 1888

GladysGirlAnglicized Welsh Gwladus; often linked with gwlad 'country', but this is uncertain.Victorian · peak 1901 · forgotten

EdithGirlFrom Old English Eadgyth, from ead 'wealth, prosperity' and guth 'battle'.Viking & Saxon · peak 1895

MonicaGirlUncertain, possibly of Punic or Berber origin; links to Greek monos 'alone' or Latin monere 'to advise' are folk…Early Medieval · peak 1973

EleanorGirlFrom Occitan Aliénor, of uncertain origin; it is often explained as alia Aenor 'the other Aenor', but this is not…Middle Ages · peak 1915

EllenGirlThe English vernacular form of Helen, from Greek Helenē, of uncertain meaning.Middle Ages · peak 1884

Where this comes from

The medieval Arthurian romances
Well-known works of literature
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.