UK girl's name
Elaina
A feminine name derived from the Russian name Yelena meaning "bright one, shining light".
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.
Elaina is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Elaina popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #722, with 52 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 52 births.
This profile covers 722 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.
Elaina is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 777 living people in the UK are called Elaina. 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
- • Elaina ranked #722 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 52 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 52 girls were registered as Elaina.
- • Elaina ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #337 in 2024.
- • About 777 living people in the UK are estimated to have Elaina as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#722
2024
Births in 2024
52
Latest year
Peak year
2024
52 births
Estimated living
777
2026
Meaning
What does Elaina mean?
The name Elaina has its origins in the Greek language. It is a feminine form of the male name Elijah, which is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu. The name Eliyahu is composed of the Hebrew elements "El," meaning "God," and "yah," referring to the Hebrew name for God.
Elaina can also be considered a variant spelling of the name Elena, which has Greek roots and means "bright one" or "shining light." This name was popularized in the 4th century by Saint Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great.
The name Elaina first appeared in ancient Greek texts and literature, where it was used to represent various female characters. One notable example is the character Elaina in the ancient Greek novel "An Ephesian Tale" by Xenophon of Ephesus, written in the 2nd or 3rd century AD.
In terms of historical figures, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name Elaina is Elaina of Vidin, a Bulgarian princess who lived in the 14th century. She was the daughter of Tsar Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria and married the Serbian ruler Stefan Uroš IV Dušan.
Another notable figure with the name Elaina was Elaina Lovibond, an English actress born in 1989. She is known for her roles in films such as "St Trinian's," "Guardians of the Galaxy," and the television series "Elementary."
In the literary world, Elaina Browne was an American poet and author who lived from 1873 to 1958. She was known for her works on nature and spirituality, including the collection "Lyrics of the Road and Over-look."
Elaina Merker, born in 1942, is an American composer and pianist who has contributed significantly to the contemporary classical music scene. Her compositions have been performed by renowned orchestras and ensembles around the world.
Lastly, Elaina Garan was a Canadian ice hockey player who represented Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. She helped the Canadian women's hockey team win the silver medal.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Elaina over time
The chart below shows babies named Elaina 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 Elaina, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 52 births in 2024, compared with 52 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elaina by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Elaina 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 | #868 | 209 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1058 | 349 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1721 | 131 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1922 | 33 | 4 |
Geography
Where Elaina is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Elaina. 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.
Elaina ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #337 in 2024.
Across the UK
Elaina in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#790 in 2024
13 years of NRS records, 49 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#337 in 2024
3 years of NISRA records, 10 total registered
Related
Names similar to Elaina
- 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
Elaina: questions and answers
How popular is the name Elaina in the UK right now?
In 2024, Elaina was ranked #722 for girls in England and Wales, with 52 births registered.
When was Elaina most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 52 babies registered as Elaina in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Elaina?
A feminine name derived from the Russian name Yelena meaning "bright one, shining light".
How many people are called Elaina in the UK?
A total of 722 babies have been registered as Elaina across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 49 more in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Elaina most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Elaina ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #337 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.