Elinah is a variant of Elena. In Spanish use, Elena carries the interpretation “the shining light.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2009. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Elinah through the years
Babies since 1880
20
0 boys · 20 girls
Most popular year
2012
9 babies
2025
5
#15,564 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
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Too few births to compare
Elinah in U.S. Social Security birth records, 2009–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 15,564 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9 in 2012.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.