Elina
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Meaning
“Scandinavian/Finnish variant of Helena, traditionally meaning 'light' or 'torch'”
The story
Elina is Helen gone north: the Finnish, Estonian and Swedish form of the name, medieval in Finland by the record's account, and still current across an impressive stretch of Europe. The American line spent a century as a whisper, present from the 1890s but modest for decades at a stretch, 110 girls in the 1970s, 311 in the 1990s. Then the Elena-Alina-Elina vowel family came into fashion together, and the quiet form had its American moment: 1,115 in the 2000s, 2,324 in the 2010s, 1,880 so far this decade. Families reach for it when Elena feels settled and Alina feels claimed; Elina sits between them, same warmth, rarer paper. The meaning underneath is Helen's, traditionally read as light or torch. Some names arrive by ship and some by relay; this one was passed hand to hand around the Baltic, medieval Finland onward.
How popular is Elina around the world?
In the United States, 1,880 babies were named Elina between 2020 and 2025. In Austria, 212 girls named Elina were born in 2025, the 31st most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
Elina is on the official records of the United States, Austria, Norway, France, Puerto Rico, Canada, New Zealand, Poland, England and Wales, South Australia, Mexico City, Ireland, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Spain.
United States
1 in 12,000
In the United States, 1,880 babies were named Elina between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Elina peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Austria
1 in 360
In Austria, 212 girls named Elina were born in 2025, the 31st most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Norway
1 in 500register 2026
In Norway, 53 girls were given the name Elina in 2025.
share of the girls on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
France
1 in 1,900
In France, about 335 girls named Elina were born in 2025, the 160th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. This registry counts each spelling separately; the figures above are for the exact spelling Elina, and accented spellings are separate names. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Puerto Rico
1 in 2,000
In Puerto Rico, 9 babies were named Elina in 2025, and 15 have carried the name since 1998.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Canada
1 in 5,100
In Canada, 72 girls named Elina were born in 2024, the 419th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
New Zealand
1 in 5,200
In New Zealand, 11 girls named Elina were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Poland
1 in 7,200
In Poland, 34 girls named Elina were born in 2025, the 211th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
England and Wales
1 in 8,500
In England and Wales, 69 girls named Elina were born in 2025, the 573rd most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
South Australia
1 in 9,2002017
In South Australia, 2 girls were registered as Elina in 2017.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Mexico City City
1 in 17,000
In Mexico City, there were 7 registrations of Elina in 2022.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Ireland
1 in 18,000
In Ireland, 3 girls named Elina were born in 2025, the 885th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Argentina
1 in 21,000
In Argentina, 31 newborns were given the name Elina in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Chile
1 in 30,000
In Chile, 6 girls were registered as Elina in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Brazil
1 in 50,000
At the 2022 census, 4,000 people in Brazil were named Elina, ranked 3,193rd, with a median age of 51.
Among people named Elina living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1960s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 79 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Spain
1 in 63,000
In Spain, 714 residents are named Elina, ranked 1,829th among women, with a mean age of 32.1 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Montevideo City
last on record 2010
Elina is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Scotland
last on record 2021
Elina is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
When you meet Elina
Most people given the name Elina in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Elina deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Elina truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Elina fits with your family’s names and surname.
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