Elif: Name Popularity, History & Rankings (1880

Rank 2025

#1,915

among girls · ↓160 vs 2024

Babies in 2025

101

named Elif · -12% vs 2024

How common

1 in 15,914

girls born in 2025

Peak year

2024

115 babies

All-time total

1,534

#5,615 all-time among girls

First recorded

1977

in Social Security records

Elif popularity over time

1,534 babies have been named Elif since 1977, 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

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	Per year	Change	Best rank
1880s	–	–	–	–
1890s	–	–	–	–
1900s	–	–	–	–
1910s	–	–	–	–
1920s	–	–	–	–
1930s	–	–	–	–
1940s	–	–	–	–
1950s	–	–	–	–
1960s	–	–	–	–
1970s	6	1	–	#8,755
1980s	42	4	+600%	#8,417
1990s	110	11	+162%	#5,960
2000s	209	21	+90%	#4,038
2010s	589	59	+182%	#2,423
2020s (to 2025)	578	96	+64%	#1,755

Where Elif is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls	Implied rank
2026	110	0.07	outside top 500
2027	118	0.07	outside top 500
2028	125	0.08	outside top 500
2029	132	0.08	outside top 500
2030	137	0.09	outside top 500

Where Elif is most popular

Girls named Elif per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.061 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, New Jersey, and Florida.

Vs national average

well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Elif 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	Girls 2021–2025	Per 1,000	vs national
New York	98	0.247	+304%
New Jersey	38	0.211	+244%
Florida	52	0.122	+98%
Illinois	15	0.066	+7%
California	53	0.063	≈ national
Pennsylvania	14	0.059	≈ national
Massachusetts	7	0.058	-5%
Texas	42	0.052	-15%
Maryland	5	0.047	-23%
Washington	5	0.035	-43%
Virginia	5	0.029	-52%
Alaska	–	–	–
Alabama	–	–	–
Arkansas	–	–	–
Arizona	–	–	–
Colorado	–	–	–
Connecticut	–	–	–
District of Columbia	–	–	–
Delaware	–	–	–
Georgia	–	–	–
Hawaii	–	–	–
Iowa	–	–	–
Idaho	–	–	–
Indiana	–	–	–
Kansas	–	–	–
Kentucky	–	–	–
Louisiana	–	–	–
Maine	–	–	–
Michigan	–	–	–
Minnesota	–	–	–
Missouri	–	–	–
Mississippi	–	–	–
Montana	–	–	–
North Carolina	–	–	–
North Dakota	–	–	–
Nebraska	–	–	–
New Hampshire	–	–	–
New Mexico	–	–	–
Nevada	–	–	–
Ohio	–	–	–
Oklahoma	–	–	–
Oregon	–	–	–
Rhode Island	–	–	–
South Carolina	–	–	–
South Dakota	–	–	–
Tennessee	–	–	–
Utah	–	–	–
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 Elif

Elif is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,915 in 2025 with 101 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1977, 1,534 American babies have been named Elif. Its peak came in 2024, when 115 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Elif stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Elif?

The median living Elif is about 9 years old; half are between 3 and 15. An estimated 1,500 people named Elif are alive in the United States today.

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

Elif year by year

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

Year	Girls	Girls rank
2025	101	#1,915
2024	115	#1,755
2023	90	#2,129
2022	106	#1,900
2021	85	#2,191
2020	81	#2,222
2019	52	#3,102
2018	65	#2,655
2017	68	#2,580
2016	69	#2,572
2015	53	#3,146
2014	75	#2,423
2013	54	#3,053
2012	59	#2,912
2011	46	#3,463
2010	48	#3,375
2009	38	#4,038
2008	36	#4,297
2007	32	#4,595
2006	27	#5,129
2005	23	#5,491
2004	9	#10,951
2003	14	#7,706
2002	12	#8,441
2001	9	#10,354
2000	9	#10,141
1995	10	#8,270
1990	8	#9,523
1985	–	–
1980	5	#10,839
1975	–	–
1970	–	–
1965	–	–
1960	–	–
1955	–	–
1950	–	–
1945	–	–
1940	–	–
1935	–	–
1930	–	–
1925	–	–
1920	–	–
1915	–	–
1910	–	–
1905	–	–
1900	–	–
1895	–	–
1890	–	–
1885	–	–
1880	–	–

Famous people named Elif

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

1 Elif Shafak Turkish novelist, essayist and women's rights activist (born 1971) Contemporary
2 Elif Elmas Macedonian footballer (born 1999) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Elif?

The median living Elif is about 9 years old. Half of all living Elifs are between 3 and 15 years old.

How many people named Elif are alive today?

An estimated 1,500 people named Elif are alive in the United States, based on 1,534 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Elif in 2025?

Elif ranked #1,915 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 101 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Elif?

1,534 babies have been named Elif in the United States since 1977, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Elif most popular?

Elif peaked in 2024, when 115 newborns received the name.

Is Elif a boy or girl name?

Elif is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Elif rising or falling?

Elif is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Elif become more popular?

Elif is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 137 girls named Elif in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Elif?

Well-known people named Elif include Elif Shafak (writer), Elif Elmas (soccer player).

Names like Elif

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

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