Elif
About Elif
Elif is the Turkish form of Alif, the name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. Actor Natalie Portman gave another spelling to her son, Aleph.
In Turkey, Elif is unisex but especially popular for girls – it's been a Top 5 choice there since the early 1990s, and also ranks highly in such other European nations as Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Along with its alphabetical meaning, Elif can also mean "slender", from the Turkish phrase elif gibi, literally "shaped like Elif."
Pronounced eh-LEEF.
As of October 2026, Elif ranked #1915 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1763 in 2024.
Editor: Pamela Redmond
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,423 | 75 | 42 |
| 2015 | #3,143 | 53 | 29.7 |
| 2016 | #2,572 | 69 | 38.9 |
| 2017 | #2,580 | 68 | 39.4 |
| 2018 | #2,654 | 65 | 38.2 |
| 2019 | #3,099 | 52 | 31 |
| 2020 | #2,222 | 81 | 50.1 |
| 2021 | #2,191 | 85 | 51.8 |
| 2022 | #1,899 | 106 | 64.6 |
| 2023 | #2,160 | 88 | 54.8 |
| 2024 | #1,763 | 114 | 70.4 |
| 2025 | #1,915 | 101 | 62.8 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Elif.
- Miriana
- Honore
- Lorca
- Esma
- Ksana
- Opalina
- Ennis
- Ebele
- Ottaline
- Sibley
- Wilda
- Glenys
- Claribel
- Annegret
- Willodean
- Polina
- Elula
- Miri
- Aleta
- Dael
Elif on lists
Famous Elifs
- Elif Ceylan
Turkish,Swedish voice actor
- Elif Deniz
Turkish footballer
- Elif Şafak
Turkish writer
- Elif Zeynep Celep
Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnast