Elke
Elke is a feminine given name. Different sources give different accounts of its origin. One source describes it as a Low German and East Frisian diminutive of Adelheid, meaning "of noble birth". Another states that it originated as a Yiddish feminine variant of Elkan, which itself came from the Biblical name Elkanah.
- Low German
- Frisian
- German
- Dutch
Meaning & Origin of Elke
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Elke is a feminine given name. Different sources give different accounts of its origin. One source describes it as a Low German and East Frisian diminutive of Adelheid, meaning "of noble birth". Another states that it originated as a Yiddish feminine variant of Elkan, which itself came from the Biblical name Elkanah.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Low German
- Frisian
- German
- Dutch
- Yiddish
The Story of Elke
Elke first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1953, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1968: 77 births, good for #1,244 nationwide. About 32% of every Elke on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. Elke last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 8 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Elke
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Elke. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Elke
Phonetically similar names — useful when Elke is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Elk
- Elc
- Ilk
- Ulk
- Elg
- Ilke
- Ilc
- Ulc
- Alk
- Alc
- Olk
- Olc
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Elke
What does the name Elke mean?
What is the origin of the name Elke?
How popular is Elke in 2026?
When was Elke most popular?
In which U.S. states is Elke most popular?
Is Elke a unisex name?
What names go well with Elke?
What are nicknames or variants of Elke?
About the name Elke
Elke is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1953 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Elke's peak popularity came in 1968 when it ranked #1,244. Use the chart and map above to compare Elke's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1968 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "E" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.