Given name & surname
Elif
“one who is immortal”
Elif is a variant of Eilif. One interpretation is “one who is immortal.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Elif is a variant of Eilif. One interpretation is “one who is immortal.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Elif is a variant of Eilif. An origin associated with Eilif is Old Norse.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From Arabic أَلِف (“alif, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1977. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Elif through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,534
- 0 boys · 1,534 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 115 babies
- 2025
- 101
- #1,915 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +48%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 101 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,915 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 48.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (16). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,643 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.
Elif’s family of names
In Turkish usage, Elif shares a linguistic root with the Ancient Greek form Ἄλφα. Elif has a related form in Eilif. In Old Swedish usage, Elif continues an earlier form in Eilífr.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Elif has relatives in 3 languages.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Elif
- Elif ShafakTurkish writer (born 1971)
- Eljif ElmasMacedonian association football playerborn 1999
- Elif EralpGerman politicianborn 1981
- Elif BatumanAmerican writer and academicborn 1977
- Elif Jale YeşilırmakTurkish wrestler (born 1986)
- Elif ŞahinTurkish volleyball player (born 2001)
- Elif DemirezerGerman singerborn 1992
- Elif Ağca YararTurkish volleyball player (born 1984)
- Elif DoğanTurkish actor (born 1994)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Elif, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.