Elle is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Elle means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Elle across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Elle has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Elle is a girl name of French origin meaning “she, or light”. A short form of Eleanor or Ellen, also the French word for she.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 19,247 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 5,628 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 835 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 238 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 427 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Elle per year, United States (1977 to 2025). United States peaked in 2019 (890/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2002 (502/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2003 (69/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2005 (28/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2003 (23/yr).
Elle has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2019, when it ranked #723 nationally (given to 1,016 babies that year).
Willie · Ella · Eli · Ellie · Eula · Ollie · Allie · Ole
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