Given name & surname · also Persian
Elham
“inspiration”
Elham is a unisex given name from Persian, ultimately from Arabic.
Original Persianالهام
Meaning & origin
What it means
Elham goes back to Arabic إِلْهَام, meaning “inspiration.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
Elham comes from Persian, and ultimately from Arabic.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Persian الهام (elhâm), from Arabic إِلْهَام (“inspiration”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1974. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Elham through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 445
- 101 boys · 344 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 25 babies
- 2025
- 18
- #8,444 for boys · #10,325 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +49%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 10,325 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 5.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 9 birth records for boys in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,579 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Elham’s family of names
In English usage, Elham was borrowed from the Persian form الهام.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Elham
- Elham HamidiIranian actressborn 1977
- Elham AminzadehIranian academic/lawmaker/cabinet vice-presidentborn 1964
- Elham ManeaSwiss-American academicborn 1966
- Elham Malekpoor ArashluIranian poet and writer living in the Netherlandsborn 1983
- Elham NamiIranian actressborn 1986
- Elham AsghariIranian swimmerborn 1981
- Elham Dwairy Tabryauthorborn 1947
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Elham, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Armani
“one who is desired; a goal”
56% boys · 44% girls
Aiman
45% boys · 55% girls
Amiri
“a prince” · “from the treetop”
65% boys · 35% girls
Yuriah
49% boys · 51% girls
Bellamy
“a handsome friend”
49% boys · 51% girls
Mecca
Mecca is a unisex given name.
60% boys · 40% girls
Nouri
Nouri is a surname from Persian.
25% boys · 75% girls
Legacy
34% boys · 66% girls