Elder

English word name

Elder Origin and Meaning

The name Elder is a boy's name .

Anyone who's seen "The Book of Mormon" or visited Utah knows this as the title taken by male Mormon missionaries during their term of service. We'd advise anyone who lives somewhere with any significant Mormon population to avoid it for that reason.

That said, Elder does have some history as a boys' name, especially in Latin America, where the stress is on the second syllable. The "el-" sound has become extremely fashionable, so we wouldn't be surprised if this started climbing up the charts.

# 998 in the US

Elder Rank in US Top 1000

Famous People Named Elder

  • Élder Alencar Machado (de Campos)Brazilian footballer
  • Elder José FigueroaSalvadoran footballer
  • Élder da Silva GranjaBrazilian footballer
  • Elder HerreraColombian cyclist
  • Elder James OlsonAmerican poet
  • Elder VogelAmerican politician from Pennsylvania
  • Elder Lafayette WhiteAmerican baseball player
  • Elderson Uwa EchiéjiléNigerian footballer

Elder in Pop Culture

  • Eldera character in the Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis
  • Eldera member of a powerful group of Whitelighters (guardian angels) in the TV series Charmed
  • Eldertitle in the LDS church, used for several characters in musical "The Book of Mormon"
  • The Elder Wandone of the Deathly Hallows in Harry Potter
  • The Elder Scrollsa game franchise from Bethesda
  • Elderan English surname, may refer to an ancestor with high standing in a Protestant church governed by councils of elders

Elder in Nameberry Blog Posts