Given name & surname
Elgin
“a noble man; one who is white-skinned”
Elgin is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a noble man; one who is white-skinned.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a noble man; one who is white-skinned.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1886. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Elgin through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,002
- 3,959 boys · 43 girls
- Most popular year
- 1927
- 78 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #9,982 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −37%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,982 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 37.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,084 as a first name in 2020; 2,657 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Elgin’s family of names
Elgin has a related form in Elgine. Elgin has a related form in Elgyn. Elgin has a related form in Elgyne.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Elgin
- Elgin BaylorAmerican basketball player, coach, and executive (1934–2021)
- Masta KillaAmerican rapperborn 1969
- GinuwineAmerican singerborn 1970
- Elgin LessleyAmerican cinematographer1883–1944
- Elgin CookAmerican basketball player (born 1993)
- Elgin Loren ElwaisPalauan wrestlerborn 1985
- Elgin Gould(1860-1915) Canadian social scientist, educator, and lacrosse coach
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Elgin, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elvin
“a friend of the elves”
>99% boys
Irwin
“a friend of the wild boar”
>99% boys
Erwin
“a friend of the wild boar”
>99% boys
Eldon
“from the sacred hill”
>99% boys
Edsel
“one who is plain” · “one who is noble and bright”
>99% boys
Elden
“an old friend”
>99% boys
Alvin
“friend of the elves”
>99% boys
Melvin
“a friend who offers counsel”
>99% boys