Unisex name ★ peaked 2012

Elan

Meaning A male given name from Hebrew, variant of Elon Gender Unisex · 18% girls Rank 2025 #2,490 Trend ↓ Falling 43%

A male given name from Hebrew, variant of Elon.

Rank 2025
#2,490
among boys · ↑154 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
59
named Elan · +2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 31,631
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2012
153 babies
All-time total
4,331
#2,272 all-time among boys
First recorded
1963
in Social Security records

Elan popularity over time

4,331 babies have been named Elan since 1963, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s 19 50 69 7 – #2,231
1970s 92 201 293 29 +325% #1,603
1980s 173 394 567 57 +94% #1,422
1990s 154 441 595 60 +5% #1,758
2000s 135 794 929 93 +56% #1,469
2010s 178 1,234 1,412 141 +52% #1,266
2020s (to 2025) 47 419 466 78 -45% #1,712

Where Elan is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 49 0.03 outside top 500
2027 45 0.03 outside top 500
2028 42 0.02 outside top 500
2029 40 0.02 outside top 500
2030 38 0.02 outside top 500

Where Elan is most popular

Boys named Elan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.040 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, Florida, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Elan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New York 49 0.113 +185%
Florida 20 0.042 +6%
California 38 0.042 +5%
Georgia 10 0.039 ≈ national
Washington 6 0.037 -8%
Texas 31 0.035 -11%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -30%
Pennsylvania 5 0.019 -53%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Elan

Elan is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,490 in 2025 with 54 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1963, 4,331 American babies have been named Elan, about 82% boys and 18% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2012, when 153 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Elan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Elan?

The median living Elan is about 18 years old; half are between 10 and 32. An estimated 4,200 people named Elan are alive in the United States today.

median 18 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Elan year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 5 #15,556 54 #2,490
2024 8 #11,383 50 #2,644
2023 10 #9,804 63 #2,252
2022 10 #9,893 81 #1,923
2021 8 #11,403 95 #1,712
2020 6 #13,909 76 #1,927
2019 12 #8,728 113 #1,510
2018 14 #7,886 116 #1,494
2017 12 #8,940 130 #1,367
2016 17 #7,001 125 #1,404
2015 18 #6,806 116 #1,455
2014 18 #6,793 131 #1,330
2013 23 #5,703 127 #1,340
2012 22 #5,965 131 #1,310
2011 16 #7,530 136 #1,266
2010 26 #5,290 109 #1,496
2009 7 #14,123 93 #1,692
2008 22 #6,196 87 #1,742
2007 12 #9,720 107 #1,489
2006 8 #12,739 75 #1,828
2005 10 #10,357 77 #1,728
2004 18 #6,571 68 #1,820
2003 10 #9,879 89 #1,469
2002 16 #6,803 68 #1,709
2001 8 #11,323 75 #1,594
2000 24 #4,835 55 #1,901
1995 15 #6,050 44 #1,928
1990 19 #4,919 38 #1,982
1985 16 #4,690 25 #2,187
1980 16 #4,574 28 #1,976
1975 6 #8,282 16 #2,563
1970 15 #3,921 20 #2,014
1965 – – 6 #3,647
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Elan, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Elan?

The median living Elan is about 18 years old. Half of all living Elans are between 10 and 32 years old.

How many people named Elan are alive today?

An estimated 4,200 people named Elan are alive in the United States, based on 4,331 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Elan mean?

A male given name from Hebrew, variant of Elon.

How popular is the name Elan in 2025?

Elan ranked #2,490 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 54 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Elan?

4,331 babies have been named Elan in the United States since 1963, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Elan most popular?

Elan peaked in 2012, when 153 newborns received the name.

Is Elan a boy or girl name?

Elan is used for both: about 18% of babies named Elan have been girls and 82% boys.

Is the name Elan rising or falling?

Elan is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Elan become more popular?

Elan is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 38 boys named Elan in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Elan

Names that sound and feel close to Elan: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Elan with similar names → More names starting with E →