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Girl · Greek
Elin
Say it: EH-lin
Meaning
A Scandinavian form of Helen, from Greek Helenē. The meaning is unknown; the popular 'torch' or 'light' is an unproven folk etymology.
Disputedsharp disagreement, or a popular meaning that is not supported.
Spread through the cult of Saint Elin of Skövde and long common in Sweden.
Its wave through time
Most used in the 2010s
In the United States
- 4,769 babies given this name since 1893
- At its height in 2011, about 1 in 4,100 girls
- 142 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
| Latin | Helena |
|---|---|
| Finnish | Elina |
| English | Helen |
Famous bearers
- Saint Elin of Skövde, medieval Swedish saint
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Calendars of saints and name days
- National birth statistics of European countries 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.