Boy · #2,574 in 2026

Elam

Name: Popularity of the name Elam in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Elam, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Elam was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of what is today Iran, stretching from the lowlands of Ilam and Khuzestan as well as a small part of modern-day southern Iraq. The modern name Elam stems from the Sumerian transliteration elam(a), along with the later Akkadian elamtu, and the Elamite haltamti.

Current Rank

#2,574

Peak Rank

#744 (2015)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-39%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

2015

Peak Year

#744

Peak Rank

Total Count

124

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Elam

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology

The Elamite language endonym of Elam as a country appears to have been Hatamti ( in Linear Elamite ), or Haltamti ( Cuneiform Elamite : 𒁹𒄬𒆷𒁶𒋾 halatamti ). Exonyms included the Sumerian names ELAM.MA ki 𒉏𒈠𒆠 and ELAM , the Akkadian Elamû (masculine/neuter) and Elamītu (feminine) meant "resident of Susiana, Elamite". The Sumerian term elam also referred to the highlands. In prehistory, Elam was centered primarily in modern Khuzestān and Ilam . The name Khuzestān is derived ultimately from Old Persian : 𐎢𐎺𐎩 ( hūja ) meaning Susa/Elam. This became Middle Persian : 𐭧𐭥𐭰 ( hūz ) "Susiana

Origin & history

Prehistorically the area was well settled during the Ubaid period and shared many aspects of Ubaid cultures. Knowledge of Elamite history remains largely fragmentary, reconstruction being based on mainly Mesopotamian ( Sumerian , Akkadian , Assyrian , and Babylonian ) sources. The history of Elam is conventionally divided into three periods, spanning more than two millennia. The period before the first Elamite period is known as the proto-Elamite period: Proto-Elamite : c. 3200 – c. 2700 BC (Proto-Elamite script in Susa) Old Elamite period : c. 2700 – c. 1500 BC (earliest documents until the S

The Story of Elam

Elam first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 144 Elams were born — ranking #1,252 that year. As of 2026, Elam ranks #2,574 for baby boys with 52 births, falling sharply (-39%). In total, more than 3K Elams have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Elam

Phonetically similar names — useful when Elam is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Elem
Ellen
Alum
Elon
Elen
Ellan
Illum
Alom
Elean
Ehlen
Ilum
Ylem

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Elam

What does the name Elam mean?

How popular is Elam in 2026?

In 2026, Elam ranks #2,574 among boys' names in the U.S., with 52 babies given the name that year.

When was Elam most popular?

Elam reached its peak popularity in 2015, ranking #744 that year with 144 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Elam most popular?

Elam has historically been most popular in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Elam.

Is Elam a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Elam is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Elam?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Elam include Mace, Verner, Fox. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Elam

Elam is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Elam's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #744. Use the chart and map above to compare Elam's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.