Elaine: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “bright, shining light”
- Origin
- French
- Say it
- ee-LAYN · 2 syllables
- Used for
- Girls
Elaine is the French and English form of Helen via Old French forms such as Hélène and Elaine. It also appears in Arthurian legend.
How popular is Elaine?
Babies named Elaine in 2024843
2024 rank#369 girls
Peak year1945
Total US babies since 1880262,525
Elaine is rising: use over the last five years is 2.0× what it was a decade earlier.
Names like Elaine
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
- Laineybright shining one · English
- Alanauncertain; often linked to little rock or handsome · Unknown
- Helentorch; shining light · Greek
- Laneybright shining one · English
- Alenabright, shining light · Slavic
- Ellentorch; bright shining one · Greek
- Elinabright, shining one · Greek
- Elenitorch; shining light · Greek
Elaine questions
What does the name Elaine mean?
Elaine means "bright, shining light". It comes from French. Elaine is the French and English form of Helen via Old French forms such as Hélène and Elaine. It also appears in Arthurian legend.
Is Elaine a boy or girl name?
Elaine is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Elaine?
843 US babies were named Elaine in 2024. Its peak year was 1945.
How do you pronounce Elaine?
Elaine is usually pronounced ee-LAYN.
Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.