girls' name ★ peaked 2014

Elsa

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,104 Trend ↓ Falling 18%

From German Elsa, contraction of Elisabeth, occasionally used in English after its appearance in Wagner's opera Lohengrin (1847).

Rank 2025
#1,104
among girls · ↓166 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
216
named Elsa · -23% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,441
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2014
1,140 babies
All-time total
30,731
#822 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Elsa popularity over time

30,731 babies have been named Elsa since 1880, 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 537 – 537 54 – #229
1890s 1,209 – 1,209 121 +125% #215
1900s 864 – 864 86 -29% #311
1910s 1,578 – 1,578 158 +83% #392
1920s 1,466 5 1,471 147 -7% #516
1930s 1,289 – 1,289 129 -12% #542
1940s 1,306 – 1,306 131 +1% #590
1950s 2,508 6 2,514 251 +92% #520
1960s 2,746 – 2,746 275 +9% #552
1970s 2,551 10 2,561 256 -7% #588
1980s 2,083 – 2,083 208 -19% #699
1990s 2,197 – 2,197 220 +5% #815
2000s 3,359 – 3,359 336 +53% #684
2010s 5,449 – 5,449 545 +62% #286
2020s (to 2025) 1,568 – 1,568 261 -52% #917

Where Elsa 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 209 0.13 outside top 500
2027 203 0.13 outside top 500
2028 198 0.12 outside top 500
2029 194 0.12 outside top 500
2030 190 0.12 outside top 500

Where Elsa is most popular

Girls named Elsa per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.158 per 1,000. Strongest in Wisconsin, Washington, 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 girls named Elsa 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
Wisconsin 28 0.272 +72%
Washington 38 0.263 +66%
California 211 0.251 +59%
Minnesota 24 0.222 +41%
Arizona 30 0.214 +35%
Illinois 47 0.205 +30%
Texas 164 0.204 +29%
New York 80 0.202 +28%
Maryland 21 0.198 +25%
New Jersey 34 0.188 +19%
Florida 78 0.182 +15%
Virginia 30 0.176 +11%
Ohio 40 0.169 +7%
Nebraska 5 0.139 -12%
Georgia 30 0.132 -17%
Michigan 23 0.126 -20%
Arkansas 6 0.114 -28%
Iowa 6 0.103 -35%
Oregon 6 0.092 -42%
Pennsylvania 21 0.089 -44%
North Carolina 20 0.088 -44%
Utah 6 0.072 -54%
Tennessee 11 0.069 -56%
Oklahoma 5 0.068 -57%
Massachusetts 7 0.058 -63%
South Carolina 5 0.056 -65%
Alabama 5 0.053 -66%
Colorado 5 0.045 -72%
Indiana 6 0.043 -73%
Missouri 5 0.041 -74%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Elsa

Elsa is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,104 in 2025 with 216 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 30,731 American babies have been named Elsa. Its peak came in 2014, when 1,140 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 Elsa stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Elsa?

The median living Elsa is about 31 years old; half are between 13 and 56. An estimated 23 thousand people named Elsa are alive in the United States today.

median 31 020406080100

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

Elsa 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 216 #1,104 – –
2024 281 #938 – –
2023 247 #1,024 – –
2022 264 #994 – –
2021 276 #951 – –
2020 284 #917 – –
2019 350 #791 – –
2018 305 #888 – –
2017 425 #686 – –
2016 477 #627 – –
2015 658 #486 – –
2014 1,140 #286 – –
2013 566 #528 – –
2012 542 #549 – –
2011 499 #580 – –
2010 487 #603 – –
2009 426 #684 – –
2008 413 #720 – –
2007 393 #742 – –
2006 350 #785 – –
2005 350 #761 – –
2004 308 #813 – –
2003 349 #733 – –
2002 283 #824 – –
2001 247 #916 – –
2000 240 #911 – –
1995 222 #867 – –
1990 242 #815 – –
1985 193 #842 – –
1980 244 #699 – –
1975 255 #618 – –
1970 298 #588 – –
1965 274 #576 – –
1960 279 #594 – –
1955 289 #542 – –
1950 154 #695 – –
1945 126 #655 – –
1940 122 #640 – –
1935 113 #612 – –
1930 137 #586 – –
1925 141 #616 – –
1920 184 #516 – –
1915 237 #392 – –
1910 80 #446 – –
1905 75 #389 – –
1900 102 #335 – –
1895 160 #215 – –
1890 106 #238 – –
1885 66 #249 – –
1880 20 #369 – –

Famous people named Elsa

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

  1. 1 Elsa Pataky Elsa Pataky Spanish model and actress (born 1976) Contemporary
  2. 2 Elsa Lanchester Elsa Lanchester British-American actress (1902–1986) Contemporary
  3. 3 Elsa Schiaparelli Elsa Schiaparelli Italian fashion designer and couturier (1890–1973) 19th century
  4. 4 Elsa Einstein Elsa Einstein Wife and cousin of Albert Einstein (1876–1936) 19th century
  5. 5 Elsa Hosk Elsa Hosk Swedish-Finnish fashion model (born 1988) Contemporary
  6. 6 Elsa Martinelli Elsa Martinelli Italian actress and fashion model (1935–2017) Contemporary
  7. 7 Elsa Lunghini Elsa Lunghini Musical artist b. 1973 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven German artist and poet (1874 –1927) 19th century
  9. 9 Elsa Morante Elsa Morante Italian author 1912–1985 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Elsa Zylberstein Elsa Zylberstein French actress (born 1968) Contemporary
  11. 11 Elsa Cayat Elsa Cayat French psychoanalyst and columnist (1960–2015) Contemporary
  12. 12 Elsa Beskow Elsa Beskow Swedish artist (1874–1953) 19th century
  13. 13 Elsa Triolet Elsa Triolet Russian-French writer and translator (1896–1970) 19th century
  14. 14 Elsa Joubert South African writer 1922–2020 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Elsa?

The median living Elsa is about 31 years old. Half of all living Elsas are between 13 and 56 years old.

How many people named Elsa are alive today?

An estimated 23 thousand people named Elsa are alive in the United States, based on 30,731 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Elsa mean?

From German Elsa, contraction of Elisabeth, occasionally used in English after its appearance in Wagner's opera Lohengrin (1847).

How popular is the name Elsa in 2025?

Elsa ranked #1,104 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 216 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Elsa?

30,731 babies have been named Elsa in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Elsa most popular?

Elsa peaked in 2014, when 1,140 newborns received the name.

Is Elsa a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Elsa rising or falling?

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

Will Elsa become more popular?

Elsa is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 190 girls named Elsa 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 Elsa?

Well-known people named Elsa include Elsa Pataky (actor), Elsa Lanchester (actor), Elsa Schiaparelli (fashion designer).

Names like Elsa

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

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