Elan

Elan - A very unique male name

Elan appeared on the charts for the first time in 1970 on position #1382. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Elan and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Elan? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Elan. The baby boy name Elan was given to 28 baby boys in 2025, ranking #2150 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 52,367 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Elan peaked in popularity 42 years ago in 1984 on position 1226.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Elan, 1-5?

Elan is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Elan is currently topping the baby name charts in Florida at position #1,389 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #2,680.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Elan is where you live.

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Elan origin and meaning

Uncertain — Hebrew and French sources share the spelling

Uncertain — Elan may be the Hebrew name for a tree (a form of Ilan) or the French word élan, 'dash, momentum'; US use draws on both

Elan is two names in one spelling: a variant of the Hebrew Ilan, 'tree,' and the French borrowing élan for spirited dash. American boys named Elan since 1970 come from both streams, plus simple sound appeal, and no one source can be assigned. It peaked in 2017 and is falling.

Origin uncertain

Elan is a 4 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Elan, pop culture references for the name Elan and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Elan

We've found the following names that sound similar to Elan, sorted by popularity.

Elian / Elmo / Eliam / Elwin / Elon / Elam / Elwyn / Eleno / Elyon / Elyan /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Elan

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Elan a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Elan?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

eh-LAHN · /ɛˈlɑːn/
eh-LAHN, EE-lan and eh-LAN are all in use; families differ by which source they intend.

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Ilan — The standard Hebrew spelling of the tree name.
• Elon — A similar biblical name with a different vowel; a different name.
• Alan — The classic name it is often misread as.

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

International

Why parents choose it

A sleek, ambiguous international sound — tree in one tradition, flair in another.

Worth knowing

• Constantly misread as Alan or Elon, and pronounced three ways.