Girl · #11,069 in 2026

Elke

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

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.

Current Rank

#11,069

Peak Rank

#1,244 (1968)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1953

First Year

2024

Last Year

1968

Peak Year

#1244

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Elke

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

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

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. Its peak popularity came in 1968, when 77 Elkes were born — ranking #1,244 that year. As of 2026, Elke ranks #11,069 for baby girls with 8 births, with steady use. In total, more than 1K Elkes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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?

How popular is Elke in 2026?

In 2026, Elke ranks #11,069 among girls' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year.

When was Elke most popular?

Elke reached its peak popularity in 1968, ranking #1,244 that year with 77 babies given the name.

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

Elke has historically been most popular in New Jersey, New York, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Elke.

Is Elke a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Elke?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Elke include Neomia, Lynell, Dodie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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

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.