Girl · #978 in 2026

Elsa

Elsa is a female name mostly used in the Scandinavian countries.

Current Rank
#978
Peak Rank
#215 (2014)
Total Babies
31K
5-Yr Trend
-19%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
2014
Peak Year
#215
Peak Rank
31K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Elsa

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

Elsa is a female name mostly used in the Scandinavian countries.

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

The Story of Elsa

Elsa first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 20 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2014, when 1,140 Elsas were born — ranking #286 that year. As of 2026, Elsa ranks #978 for baby girls with 264 births, falling sharply (-19%). In total, more than 31K Elsas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Notable people named Elsa

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Duchess Elsa of Württemberg (1876–1936)
  • Elsa Benítez (born 1977), Mexican model
  • Elsa Bienenfeld (1877–1942), Austrian music historian and music critic
  • Elsa Borg (1826–1909), Swedish social worker
  • Elsa Brändström (1888–1948), Swedish philanthropist
  • Elsa Beata Bunge (1734–1819), Swedish botanist
  • Elsa Burckhardt-Blum (1900–1974), Swiss painter
  • Elsa Castillo (born 1963), Venezuelan teacher and trade unionist

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

Names that sound like Elsa

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

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Elsa

What does the name Elsa mean?
Elsa is a female name mostly used in the Scandinavian countries.
How popular is Elsa in 2026?
In 2026, Elsa ranks #978 among girls' names in the U.S., with 264 babies given the name that year.
When was Elsa most popular?
Elsa reached its peak popularity in 2014, ranking #215 that year with 1,140 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Elsa most popular?
Elsa has historically been most popular in Vermont, Minnesota, Alaska. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Elsa.
Is Elsa a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Elsa is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Elsa?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Elsa include Wilhelmina, Raquel, Chris. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Elsa

Elsa is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 31K births in the dataset. Elsa's peak popularity came in 2014 when it ranked #215. Use the chart and map above to compare Elsa'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.