NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Elle

A feminine name of French origin meaning "she".

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.

Elle is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Elle popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #583, with 67 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2002, with 502 births.

This profile covers 5,661 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 13% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 6,679 living people in the UK are called Elle. 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

  • Elle ranked #583 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 67 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2002, when 502 girls were registered as Elle.
  • Elle ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #253 in 2024.
  • About 6,679 living people in the UK are estimated to have Elle as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#583

2024

Births in 2024

67

Latest year

Peak year

2002

502 births

Estimated living

6,679

2026

Meaning

What does Elle mean?

The name Elle is derived from the French form of the name Helen, which has its origins in the ancient Greek name Helene. The name Helene is believed to have originated from the Greek word "helene," meaning "torch" or "bright one."

The name Elle first gained popularity in France during the Middle Ages, where it was used as a diminutive or shortened version of the name Helen. It was commonly used among the French nobility and upper classes.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Elle can be found in the 12th century French epic poem "The Song of Roland," where a character named Elle is mentioned.

In Greek mythology, Helen of Troy, also known as Helen of Sparta, was a famous figure whose abduction by Paris sparked the Trojan War. While not directly related to the name Elle, the mythological figure of Helen contributed to the popularity of the name and its variants across Europe.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Elle. One of the most famous was Elle Goulding, an English singer-songwriter born in 1986, known for her hits like "Lights" and "Love Me Like You Do."

Another notable Elle was Elle Macpherson, an Australian model, businesswoman, and actress born in 1964. She gained international fame as a supermodel and was nicknamed "The Body" due to her successful modeling career.

In the literary world, Elle Newmark, an American author born in 1966, is known for her historical novels, including "The Book of Unholy Mischief" and "The Salt Marsh."

Elle Fanning, born in 1998, is an American actress who began her career as a child actor and has since starred in numerous films, including "Super 8," "The Neon Demon," and "The Great."

Lastly, Elle King, an American singer-songwriter born in 1989, is known for her hit single "Ex's & Oh's," which earned her two Grammy nominations in 2016.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Elle over time

The chart below shows babies named Elle 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 Elle, the clearest high point is 2002. The latest England and Wales figure is 67 births in 2024, compared with 502 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Elle
0126251377502199620102024

Decades

Elle by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Elle 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 #478 435 5
2010s #613 701 10
2000s #201 3,149 10
1990s #140 1,376 4

Geography

Where Elle is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Elle. 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.

Elle ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #253 in 2024.

Scotland
14
Northern Ireland
6

Across the UK

Elle in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#260 in 2024

32 years of NRS records, 821 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#253 in 2024

27 years of NISRA records, 238 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Elle

  • Elle Darlington

    singer; musician; songwriter

    musician

    2003-

  • Elle Mulvaney

    actor

    English actress

    2002-

  • Elle Newlands

    actor; singer; songwriter; voice actor

    American actress

    2000-

  • Elle McNicoll

    writer; television writer

    Scottish children’s author

    1992-

Related

Names similar to Elle

FAQ

Elle: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Elle was ranked #583 for girls in England and Wales, with 67 births registered.

When was Elle most popular?

The peak year on record was 2002, with 502 babies registered as Elle in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Elle?

A feminine name of French origin meaning "she".

How many people are called Elle in the UK?

A total of 5,661 babies have been registered as Elle across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 821 more in Scotland and 238 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Elle most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Elle ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #253 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.