Fun Facts About the Name Elle
- More than 19 thousand babies named Elle: U.S. records list 19,242 babies given the name Elle from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Elle Mean?
Elle is a French pronoun meaning 'she.' It comes from Old French ele, from Latin illa, the feminine form of ille, meaning 'she' or 'that.' In English, Elle is also used as a short form of names beginning with El-, such as Eleanor, Ellen, Elizabeth, Elaine, and Ella. In that use, Elle has no separate meaning of its own; it takes the meaning of the full name. For example, names related to Helen are traditionally interpreted as 'light' or 'torch,' and Elizabeth is commonly explained as 'God is my oath.' Elle is not simply a variant of the similar-looking Ella, which has its own separate origins.
Elle Name History & Origins
The word elle is the modern French feminine subject pronoun, 'she.' It developed from Old French ele, which came from Latin illa, the feminine demonstrative pronoun and adjective. In Latin, illa could mean 'she' or 'that (feminine).' Old French reduced the form to ele, and by the Middle French period the spelling elle became standard. In French, elle remains an ordinary pronoun rather than a traditional first name; its use as a given name is chiefly an English development.
In English, Elle appears as a shortened form of names beginning with El-, including Eleanor, Ellen, Elizabeth, Elaine, and Ella. As a standalone given name, it is also used in English, identical in form to the French pronoun. The French fashion magazine Elle, founded in 1945, took its title from the pronoun, and the name has been borne by public figures such as the Australian model Elle Macpherson and the American actress Elle Fanning. These associations are cultural uses of the name, not evidence that any one source created it.
How Popular is the Name Elle?
Elle recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2019. Its best rank was #355 in 2019.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #461 | 668 | 0.0416% |
| 2024 | #479 | 642 | 0.0398% |
| 2023 | #441 | 700 | 0.0437% |
| 2022 | #394 | 795 | 0.0485% |
| 2021 | #357 | 870 | 0.0531% |
| 2020 | #370 | 842 | 0.0521% |
| 2019 | #355 | 890 | 0.0531% |
| 2018 | #382 | 816 | 0.0480% |
| 2017 | #375 | 833 | 0.0483% |
| 2016 | #399 | 834 | 0.0471% |
| 2015 | #397 | 819 | 0.0459% |
| 2014 | #396 | 825 | 0.0462% |
| 2013 | #408 | 749 | 0.0427% |
| 2012 | #383 | 822 | 0.0467% |
| 2011 | #414 | 766 | 0.0436% |
| 2010 | #420 | 750 | 0.0422% |
| 2009 | #444 | 709 | 0.0386% |
| 2008 | #492 | 642 | 0.0340% |
| 2007 | #475 | 677 | 0.0352% |
| 2006 | #481 | 653 | 0.0343% |
| 2005 | #505 | 594 | 0.0321% |
| 2004 | #494 | 596 | 0.0325% |
| 2003 | #556 | 497 | 0.0272% |
| 2002 | #612 | 418 | 0.0233% |
| 2001 | #1,079 | 197 | 0.0109% |
| 2000 | #1,130 | 181 | 0.0100% |
| 1999 | #1,153 | 170 | 0.0096% |
| 1998 | #1,254 | 145 | 0.0082% |
| 1997 | #1,252 | 142 | 0.0082% |
| 1996 | #1,247 | 140 | 0.0080% |
| 1995 | #1,287 | 130 | 0.0074% |
| 1994 | #1,341 | 125 | 0.0070% |
| 1993 | #1,613 | 94 | 0.0052% |
| 1992 | #1,526 | 103 | 0.0056% |
| 1991 | #1,440 | 111 | 0.0059% |
| 1990 | #1,638 | 91 | 0.0048% |
| 1989 | #1,498 | 96 | 0.0052% |
| 1988 | #2,661 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1987 | #3,359 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 1986 | #5,870 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1985 | #8,607 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #9,365 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #10,876 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #7,133 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #10,065 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Elle Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are fine when in harmony but changeable when in discord, because many of your best qualities are then reversed. You are entertaining but may be impulsive. Freedom is a necessity, and you find it difficult to settle down. Your versatility results in many changes, and often brings travel. Your fine intellect is capable of high honors if applied seriously. You are capable of inspired thinking applied to material things. You can be restless, changeable, and very sexy. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Elle's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Elle's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.