Girl · #148 in 2026

Elsie

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

Elsie is a feminine given name, a diminutive form of Elspeth, a Scottish version of Elizabeth. It has been in use in the Anglosphere as an independent name since the 1800s. The name has increased in usage in English-speaking countries in recent years.

Current Rank

#148

Peak Rank

#31 (1918)

Total Babies

192K

5-Yr Trend

+49%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1918

Peak Year

#31

Peak Rank

192K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Elsie

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 Elsie

Elsie first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 301 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 5,194 Elsies were born — ranking #49 that year. As of 2026, Elsie ranks #148 for baby girls with 2,037 births, rising sharply (+49% over the past five years). In total, more than 192K Elsies 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 Elsie

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

Elsey
Elsy
Elsi
Lcy
Elsa
Elso
Elzey
Alsi
Alci
Else
Chelsea
Ellie

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Elsie

What does the name Elsie mean?

How popular is Elsie in 2026?

In 2026, Elsie ranks #148 among girls' names in the U.S., with 2,037 babies given the name that year.

When was Elsie most popular?

Elsie reached its peak popularity in 1918, ranking #31 that year with 5,194 babies given the name.

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

Elsie has historically been most popular in Alaska, Hawaii, Delaware. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Elsie.

Is Elsie a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Elsie?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Elsie include Eva, Peggy, Isla. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Elsie

Elsie is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 192K births in the dataset. Elsie's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #31. Use the chart and map above to compare Elsie'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.