Elaine
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Elaine
This old Scottish form of Helen has had quite a history, going from appearing as one of the shining heroines of the Arthurian legends, the princess who fell in love with Sir Lancelot and became the mother of Sir Galahad, referred to as 'Elaine the fair' and 'Elaine the lovable', to being the name of the most famous of New York's celebrity restaurants, to being the archetypal New York neurotic on Seinfeld.
Spelled Elain, it's the name of a character in A Court of Thorns and Roses, which is responsible for some of its current popularity.
Elaine is a homophone for French Helene, just one of many names that a was imported to Scotland during the centuries that Scotland and France had a mutual enemy in England.
Elaine entered the Top 100 in the early 1920s, and remained there for close to forty years, peaking at Number 42. Now, after a long slump, Elaine is back. Our Berry Trends tool predicts it will be back in the Top 100 by 2040.
Reasons for Elaine's comeback: the popular Lainey nickname and the rise of all El- names.
Elaine is also given to boys.
Pronounced ih-LAYN.
As of October 2026, Elaine ranked #305 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #42 in 1938, Nameberry popularity #220.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #650 | 439 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #675 | 423 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #604 | 498 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #591 | 507 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #635 | 470 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #563 | 545 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #519 | 583 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #486 | 647 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #464 | 682 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #381 | 807 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #369 | 843 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #305 | 1,007 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Elaine for girls
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Elaine.
Elaine on lists
Famous Elaines
- (Katherine) Elaine HendrixGirl
American actress
- Elaine Iva MayGirl
American director/actress
- Elaine YiuGirl
Hong Kong actress
- Elaine Paige (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff)Girl
English singer and actress
- Elaine InghamGirl
American microbiologist
- Elaine HamiltonGirl
O'Neal, American painter
- Elaine Lobl (E.L.) KonigsburgGirl
American children's novelist
- Elaine MilesGirl
American actress
- Elaine StritchGirl
American actress and singer
- Elaine Marie Catherine de Kooning (born Elaine Marie Fried)Girl
American painter, wife of painter Willem de Kooning
- Elaine JinGirl
Chinese actress
- Elaine YoungsGirl
American Olympic beach volleyball player
- Elaine Tyler MayGirl
American historian and author
- Elaine ShowalterGirl
American literary critic
- Elaine FifieldGirl
Australian ballerina
Elaine in pop culture
- Elaine Marie BenesGirl
a main character on TV's "Seinfeld"'
- Elaine of AstolatGirl
Arthurian legendary figure
- Elaine JenkinsonGirl
from the British TV series "Broadchurch"
- Lady ElaineGirl
character in Barbara Cartland's book The Ruthless Rake
- Elaine AustenGirl
character in video game "Sims 3" Moonlight Bay
- Elaine RobinsonGirl
character in book/movie "The Graduate"
- "The Exploits of ElaineGirl
" 1914 film serial
- "ElaineGirl
" song by ABBA
- "Miss Elaine"Girl
song by RunâD.M.C.
- Elaine MarleyGirl
main character in video game series Monkey Island
- "ElaineGirl
" opera by Herman Bemberg
- Elaine of CorbenicGirl
legendary Arthurian figure
- Elaine "EllieGirl
" character in novel "Avalon High"
- "Elaine's Big DayGirl
" episode of TV's 'New Girl'
- Elaine DickinsonGirl
character in the movie "Airplane!"
- ElaineGirl
character in the manga/anime "Seven Deadly Sins"
- ElaineGirl
main character in the movie 'The Love Witch'
- ElaineGirl
character in series "New Girl"
- Lady Elaine FairchildeGirl
Puppet from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”