Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1993

Ilse

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #3,937 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#3,937
among girls · ↑1,012 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
37
named Ilse · +37% vs 2024
How common
1 in 43,440
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1993
103 babies
All-time total
2,401
#4,155 all-time among girls
First recorded
1914
in Social Security records

Ilse popularity over time

2,401 babies have been named Ilse since 1914, 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
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1994Girls

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 45 5 – #2,338
1920s 66 7 +47% #2,130
1930s 98 10 +48% #1,679
1940s 27 3 -72% #3,263
1950s 66 7 +144% #3,351
1960s 84 8 +27% #3,466
1970s 56 6 -33% #4,863
1980s 160 16 +186% #2,611
1990s 720 72 +350% #1,516
2000s 527 53 -27% #2,486
2010s 337 34 -36% #3,628
2020s (to 2025) 215 36 +6% #2,974

Where Ilse 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 37 0.02 outside top 500
2027 38 0.02 outside top 500
2028 38 0.02 outside top 500
2029 38 0.02 outside top 500
2030 38 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Ilse

Ilse is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,937 in 2025 with 37 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1914, 2,401 American babies have been named Ilse. Its peak came in 1993, when 103 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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

How old are people named Ilse?

The median living Ilse is about 26 years old; half are between 15 and 33. An estimated 2,200 people named Ilse are alive in the United States today.

median 26 020406080100

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

Ilse year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 37 #3,937
2024 27 #4,949
2023 28 #4,796
2022 56 #2,974
2021 35 #4,130
2020 32 #4,299
2019 32 #4,386
2018 31 #4,489
2017 29 #4,739
2016 25 #5,354
2015 33 #4,338
2014 40 #3,804
2013 31 #4,572
2012 33 #4,421
2011 43 #3,628
2010 40 #3,847
2009 52 #3,214
2008 55 #3,093
2007 44 #3,673
2006 52 #3,197
2005 70 #2,486
2004 39 #3,708
2003 63 #2,564
2002 54 #2,799
2001 48 #2,978
2000 50 #2,874
1995 72 #1,927
1990 50 #2,445
1985 10 #6,625
1980 9 #6,989
1975 7 #7,436
1970 11 #4,863
1965 14 #3,466
1960 8 #4,928
1955 7 #4,905
1950 – –
1945 6 #4,237
1940 – –
1935 7 #3,558
1930 23 #1,679
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 9 #2,995
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Ilse

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

  1. 1 Ilse Koch Ilse Koch German war criminal (1906–1967) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ilse DeLange Ilse DeLange Dutch country and pop singer b. 1977 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Ilse Aigner Ilse Aigner German politician (born 1964) Contemporary
  4. 4 Ilse Aichinger Ilse Aichinger Austrian writer (1921–2016) Contemporary
  5. 5 Ilse Heylen Ilse Heylen Belgian judoka (born 1977) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Ilse?

The median living Ilse is about 26 years old. Half of all living Ilses are between 15 and 33 years old.

How many people named Ilse are alive today?

An estimated 2,200 people named Ilse are alive in the United States, based on 2,401 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Ilse in 2025?

Ilse ranked #3,937 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 37 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ilse?

2,401 babies have been named Ilse in the United States since 1914, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ilse most popular?

Ilse peaked in 1993, when 103 newborns received the name.

Is Ilse a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Ilse rising or falling?

Ilse has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Ilse become more popular?

Ilse looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 38 girls named Ilse in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ilse?

Well-known people named Ilse include Ilse Koch (politician), Ilse DeLange (singer), Ilse Aigner (politician).

Names like Ilse

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

Compare Ilse with similar names → More names starting with I →