UK girl's name
Eilidh
A feminine Scottish name meaning "radiant and bright".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Eilidh is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Eilidh popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1262, with 26 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 45 births.
This profile covers 812 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 58% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 8,261 living people in the UK are called Eilidh. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Eilidh ranked #1262 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 26 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2018, when 45 girls were registered as Eilidh.
- • Eilidh ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #38 in 2024.
- • About 8,261 living people in the UK are estimated to have Eilidh as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1262
2024
Births in 2024
26
Latest year
Peak year
2018
45 births
Estimated living
8,261
2026
Meaning
What does Eilidh mean?
The name Eilidh is of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Old Irish name Aílídh or Eilíd. It is believed to have roots in the Gaelic elements "ail" meaning "beauty" and "idh" meaning "girl." The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 16th century.
Eilidh is a diminutive form of the name Helen, which itself is derived from the Greek name Helene, meaning "bright one" or "shining light." The name Eilidh was particularly popular in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, where it was a well-established name among Gaelic-speaking communities.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Eilidh can be found in the 16th-century Gaelic poetry of Iain Lom, a renowned Scottish bard. In his poem "Oran do Righ Seumas," he referred to a woman named Eilidh, suggesting the name's usage during that period.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Eilidh. One of the most famous was Eilidh Nic Leòid (c. 1600-1660), a renowned poetess from the Isle of Skye, renowned for her skill in Gaelic verse and her influential role in promoting Gaelic culture and literature.
Another notable Eilidh was Eilidh MacKenzie (1788-1872), a Scottish folklorist and collector of Gaelic tales and traditions from the Highlands. Her work contributed significantly to preserving the rich oral heritage of the region.
In the 20th century, Eilidh Whiteford (born 1956) was a Scottish politician and member of the Scottish National Party, serving as a Member of Parliament for Banff and Buchan from 2010 to 2017.
Eilidh MacLeod (born 1962) is a contemporary Scottish singer and harpist, renowned for her contributions to the revival of traditional Gaelic music and culture.
Eilidh Mackenzie (born 1988) is a Scottish curler who has represented Great Britain in multiple Winter Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the women's curling event at the 2014 Sochi Games.
The name Eilidh continues to be popular in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and Islands, where it remains a cherished part of the region's cultural heritage and linguistic traditions.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Eilidh over time
The chart below shows babies named Eilidh registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Eilidh, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 26 births in 2024, compared with 45 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eilidh by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Eilidh was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1127 | 150 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1034 | 349 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1201 | 206 | 10 |
| 1990s | #833 | 107 | 4 |
Geography
Where Eilidh is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Eilidh. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Eilidh ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #38 in 2024.
Across the UK
Eilidh in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#38 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 7,444 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#302 in 2023
13 years of NISRA records, 66 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Eilidh
-
Eilidh Adams
association football player
Scottish footballer
2004-
-
Eilidh Begg
association football player
Scottish footballer
2003-
-
Eilidh Shore
association football player
association football player
2002-
-
Eilidh Loan
actor
Scottish actress
1997-
-
Eilidh McIntyre
sailor
British sailor
1994-
-
Eilidh Simpson
basketball player
English basketball player
1992-
-
Eilidh Doyle
athletics competitor; sprinter
Scottish track and field athlete
1987-
-
Eilidh MacQueen
actor; stunt performer; model
British actress
1986-
Related
Names similar to Eilidh
- Emily 121,621
- Ella 69,101
- Ellie 63,522
- Evie 52,944
- Emma 50,755
- Eleanor 40,576
- Elizabeth 39,225
- Erin 34,816
- Eva 29,738
- Evelyn 26,911
- Elsie 23,671
- Emilia 22,167
FAQ
Eilidh: questions and answers
How popular is the name Eilidh in the UK right now?
In 2024, Eilidh was ranked #1262 for girls in England and Wales, with 26 births registered.
When was Eilidh most popular?
The peak year on record was 2018, with 45 babies registered as Eilidh in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Eilidh?
A feminine Scottish name meaning "radiant and bright".
How many people are called Eilidh in the UK?
A total of 812 babies have been registered as Eilidh across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7,444 more in Scotland and 66 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Eilidh most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Eilidh ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #38 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.