NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Elkin

A masculine given name derived from the Hebrew "Elkanah", meaning "God has created".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2019. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Elkin is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Elkin popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2019 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4702, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 3 births.

This profile covers 3 England and Wales registrations across 1 recorded years from 2019 to 2019. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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.

Elkin is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 3 living people in the UK are called Elkin. 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 2020 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Elkin ranked #4702 for boys in England and Wales in 2019, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2019, when 3 boys were registered as Elkin.
  • About 3 living people in the UK are estimated to have Elkin as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4702

2019

Births in 2019

3

Latest year

Peak year

2019

3 births

Estimated living

3

2026

Meaning

What does Elkin mean?

The name Elkin is derived from the Scottish Gaelic name Ailcin, which itself is a diminutive form of the name Ailce, meaning "greyhound" or "lean." The name has its roots in ancient Celtic cultures and can be traced back to the early medieval period in Scotland and Ireland.

In the 12th century, the name Elkin was recorded in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient Irish chronicle, as the name of a Scottish chieftain. This early mention suggests that the name was in use among Scottish nobility and leaders during this time period.

One of the earliest known individuals with the name Elkin was Elkin de Leuedre, a Scottish knight who lived in the 13th century and fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence against the English. His name appears in historical records from the Battle of Falkirk in 1298.

In the 16th century, Elkin Rait was a notable Scottish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Aberdeen from 1542 to 1551. He played a role in the tumultuous religious and political events of the Scottish Reformation.

Elkin Mathews (1851-1921) was an English publisher and bookseller who founded the Elkin Mathews publishing house in London. He was instrumental in publishing and promoting the works of many important writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Oscar Wilde and W.B. Yeats.

Elkin Calhoun Wilson (1909-2003) was an American author and educator who wrote several notable works of fiction and non-fiction, including the novel "Memoiren eines Sohnes" (Memoirs of a Son) and the biography "Prince Albert: A Biography."

Elkin Baillou (1926-2003) was a French artist and sculptor who gained recognition for his abstract metal sculptures and his contributions to the Nouvelle Sculpture movement in France during the 1960s and 1970s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Decades

Elkin by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Elkin 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
2010s #4702 3 1

Related

Names similar to Elkin

FAQ

Elkin: questions and answers

How popular is the name Elkin in the UK right now?

In 2019, Elkin was ranked #4702 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Elkin most popular?

The peak year on record was 2019, with 3 babies registered as Elkin in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Elkin?

A masculine given name derived from the Hebrew "Elkanah", meaning "God has created".

How many people are called Elkin in the UK?

A total of 3 babies have been registered as Elkin across the 1 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

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.