Girl's name
Elin
Say it EE-lin
Used in Dutch, Swedish and Welsh 2 syllables
Where Elin is loved, common and rare
Common across the Netherlands, Switzerland, Cologne and one more place. Rare in three other German cities, Austria, Norway and seven more places.
1 in 6,332 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
The Netherlands 26thSwitzerland 42ndCologne 84th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 16 of the 40 official lists, among them the Netherlands (26th), Switzerland (42nd) and Cologne (84th).
Show all 16 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Netherlands | 26th 2025 | 360 | about 1 in 169 |
| Switzerland | 42nd 2025 | 140 | 1 in 243 |
| Cologne city | 84th 2023 | 15 | about 1 in 410 |
| Sweden | 99th 2025 | 107 | about 1 in 375 |
| Berlin city | 173rd 2023 | 18 | about 1 in 806 |
| Austria | 227th 2025 | 26 | 1 in 1,374 |
| Norway | 259th 2025 | 15 | 1 in 1,453 |
| Catalonia region | 422nd 2025 | 7 | 1 in 2,753 |
| Italy | 625th 2024 | 18 | 1 in 9,954 |
| Poland | 706th 2025 | 2 | 1 in 59,894 |
| England and Wales | 872nd 2025 | 40 | 1 in 6,332 |
| Ireland | 885th 2025 | 3 | 1 in 7,042 |
| Ontario province | 1584th 2024 | 6 | about 1 in 9,078 |
| France | 3366th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 57,359 |
| Bonn city | 173rd 2025 | 3 | about 1 in 1,005 |
| Leipzig city | 212th 2025 | 2 | about 1 in 1,312 |
Rare, below the listed names: Scotland, Northern Ireland, Quebec, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Munich, Rostock, Spain, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig). How we count, and every source
About the name
A medieval variant of Helene, the name known in English as Helen, Elin is comparable to English Ellen. It is used today in Dutch, Swedish and Welsh. No separate meaning is recorded.
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Two syllables, said EE-lin, with the stress on the first. Elín is the Icelandic spelling, and Elen, Elyn, Eline and Elina are close relatives.
The Netherlands and Switzerland rank it among the top 50, and it is also used in Sweden. English-speaking countries use it less, with small numbers in England and Wales, Ireland and Ontario. French records show a peak around 2019, and today it is falling in more regions than it is rising, so it may be settling after a recent high.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- EE-lin, 2 syllables
- Used in
- Dutch, Swedish and Welsh
- Other spellings
- Eline
- Elina
- Elyn
- Elen
- Ellin
Counted together here: Elín.
Etymology
Medieval variant of Helene (Helen), comparable to English Ellen.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 3 of 11 regions, falling in 6.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 693 | 514 | 532 | 651 | 655 | 720 | 576 | 888 | 722 | 872 |
| Scotland | 560 | |||||||||
| Ireland | 524 | 661 | 905 | 736 | 885 | |||||
| Ontario | 996 | 1103 | 1584 | |||||||
| British Columbia | 578 | |||||||||
| France | 2573 | 2565 | 2516 | 1668 | 3605 | 3608 | 2504 | 2420 | 2389 | 3366 |
| The Netherlands | 30 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 32 | 25 | 17 | 12 | 26 | |
| Austria | 336 | 393 | 316 | 336 | 332 | 339 | 269 | 275 | 330 | 227 |
| Switzerland | 23 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 29 | 30 | 34 | 42 |
| Berlin | 156 | 151 | 195 | 130 | 102 | 154 | 168 | 173 | ||
| Munich | 130 | 158 | 178 | 196 | 180 | 172 | 194 | |||
| Cologne | 276 | 219 | 349 | 206 | 102 | 105 | 130 | 84 | ||
| Bonn | 174 | 134 | 75 | 221 | 96 | 419 | 239 | 236 | 61 | 173 |
| Leipzig | 253 | 257 | 263 | 243 | 87 | 98 | 186 | 163 | 222 | 212 |
| Rostock | 184 | 228 | 202 | 199 | 202 | 133 | ||||
| Norway | 184 | 229 | 208 | 189 | 212 | 212 | 220 | 196 | 215 | 259 |
| Sweden | 36 | 41 | 39 | 61 | 60 | 89 | 73 | 93 | 105 | 99 |
| Iceland | 43 | 68 | ||||||||
| Catalonia | 613 | 541 | 601 | 422 | ||||||
| Italy | 780 | 889 | 891 | 625 | ||||||
| Slovenia | 129 | 199 | 183 | 143 | 155 | 192 | 130 | 157 | 198 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 872 | 40 | 15.8 |
| 2024 | 722 | 52 | 20.2 |
| 2023 | 888 | 40 | 15.6 |
| 2022 | 576 | 67 | 25.4 |
| 2021 | 720 | 52 | 19.0 |
| 2020 | 655 | 57 | 21.2 |
| 2019 | 651 | 60 | 21.4 |
| 2018 | 532 | 79 | 27.4 |
| 2017 | 514 | 83 | 27.8 |
| 2016 | 693 | 59 | 19.2 |
| 2015 | 564 | 77 | 25.0 |
| 2014 | 508 | 83 | 27.1 |
| 2013 | 466 | 90 | 29.2 |
| 2012 | 516 | 83 | 25.8 |
| 2011 | 474 | 90 | 28.0 |
| 2010 | 438 | 96 | 29.9 |
| 2009 | 464 | 90 | 28.7 |
| 2008 | 487 | 80 | 25.3 |
| 2007 | 433 | 94 | 30.7 |
| 2006 | 490 | 78 | 26.1 |
| 2005 | 455 | 81 | 28.1 |
| 2004 | 463 | 75 | 26.2 |
| 2003 | 354 | 106 | 38.0 |
| 2002 | 401 | 82 | 30.7 |
| 2001 | 409 | 76 | 28.4 |
| 2000 | 446 | 68 | 24.9 |
| 1999 | 349 | 92 | 32.7 |
| 1998 | 444 | 67 | 23.2 |
| 1997 | 484 | 58 | 19.8 |
| 1996 | 446 | 67 | 22.6 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Elin in France since 1925 were born in or after 2014. First recorded in 1991. Her peak year there: 2019, at 5.9 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Elin per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 2019 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Elin
1 in 4,225 in Ireland
1 in 3,166 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Elin.
1 in 2,508 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Elin.
1 in 1,408 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Elin.
1 in 4,690 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Elin. Same first letter as Elin.
1 in 4,473 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Elin. Same first letter as Elin.
1 in 18,092 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Elin.
1 in 3,567 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Elin.
1 in 2,429 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Elin.
1 in 1,064 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Elin.
Middle names for Elin
1 in 71 in Scotland
Elin Olivia
2-4 beats · initials EO
Changes the beat after Elin: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Elin Grace
2-1 beats · initials EG
Changes the beat after Elin: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Elin Emily
2-3 beats · initials EE
Changes the beat after Elin: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Elin Sophia
2-3 beats · initials ES
Changes the beat after Elin: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Elin Maria
2-3 beats · initials EM
Changes the beat after Elin: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 88 in Scotland
Elin Amelia
2-4 beats · initials EA
Changes the beat after Elin: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Elin Rose
2-1 beats · initials ER
Changes the beat after Elin: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 162 in England and Wales
Elin Evelyn
2-3 beats · initials EE
Changes the beat after Elin: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Elin
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 6,494 in England and Wales
87% alike: moves with Elin across countries and decades.
1 in 2,113 in Ireland
85% alike: moves with Elin across countries and decades.
1 in 63,320 in England and Wales
85% alike: moves with Elin across countries and decades.
1 in 31,660 in England and Wales
85% alike: moves with Elin across countries and decades.
1 in 4,690 in England and Wales
83% alike: moves with Elin across countries and decades.
1 in 2,113 in Ireland
82% alike: moves with Elin across countries and decades.
1 in 3,578 in Scotland
82% alike: moves with Elin across countries and decades.
1 in 1,218 in England and Wales
82% alike: moves with Elin across countries and decades.
Famous people named Elin
Elin Wägner, Elin Rubensson, Elin Danielson-Gambogi and Elin Nordegren.
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Swedish writer, journalist and Suffragette (1882–1949)
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Swedish association football player born 1993
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Finland Swedish painter (1861–1919)
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Swedish model born 1980
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Elin
4 questions, on how popular she is, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Elin?
Her best rank is No. 26 in the Netherlands in 2025, about 1 in 169 girls. She is in the published lists of 16 of our 40 regions.
How do you pronounce Elin?
EE-lin, with 2 syllables.
Is Elin getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 3 of 11 regions, falling in 6.
Which sister names go with Elin?
The deck's top five sisters for Elin: Sofija, Amalia, Leyla, Pia and Ela. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.