Given name & surname
Elo
“the shining light”
Elo is a short form of Ellen. In English use, Ellen carries the interpretation “the shining light.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Elo is a short form of Ellen. In English use, Ellen carries the interpretation “the shining light.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Estonian usage, Elo is a short form of Ellen. In Estonian usage, Elo developed from the German form Elfriede.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Elo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 117
- 117 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1917
- 10 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #9,151 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,151 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 10 in 1917. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 200 as a first name in 2020; 368 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.
Elo’s family of names
In Estonian usage, Elo is a short form of Ellen. In Estonian usage, Elo developed from the German form Elfriede. In Greek usage, Elo as a surname is a transliteration of Έλο.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Elo has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Hungarian roots to each of them.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Elo
- Elo ViidingEstonian poet (born 1974)
- Elo HansenDanish badminton playerborn 1945
- Elo RomančíkCzechoslovak member of Czechoslovak national parliament, actor and Slovak nation politician (1922–2012)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Elo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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>99% boys
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Orban
Orban is a surname with more than one origin. It is used in English, Romanian, and Walloon.
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Gustav
“of the staff of the gods”
>99% boys
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“a man from the north”
>99% boys
Ilo
Ilo is used as a given name and a surname. One African interpretation is “of the sunshine; filled with joy Пloe, Ilow, Ilowe.”
77% boys · 23% girls
Erdős
Erdős is a surname from Hungarian. It is used in English and Hungarian.
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