Elka
Feminine · “Germanic adal”
Yiddish-speaking communities used two sets of names. Men had a Hebrew name for the synagogue and a Yiddish one for the street. Women mostly had only the second, which is why the Yiddish women's stock is Germanic and Romance rather than Hebrew: Elka, Golda, Freida, Sheindel, Yentl.
How old is the name Elka?
Elka first appears in US birth records in 1943 — 82 years ago. The typical Elka alive today was born around 2001, making them about 24 years old. About 700 people named Elka are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Elka most popular?
Elka peaked in 1969, reaching #3318 nationally. Today it ranks #9457, 6,139 places below that high. See the whole 1969 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From adal to Elka
The story of Elka
Ashkenazi naming was divided by function. A man received a shem hakodesh, a sacred name in Hebrew used when called to the Torah and in legal documents, and a kinnui, an everyday name in the vernacular; the two were often linked by meaning or sound, so Dov, a bear, paired with Ber. Women were not called to the Torah and did not need the Hebrew name for that purpose, so a much larger share of women's names were purely vernacular. The result is a stock drawn from German, Slavic and Romance: Golda, gold; Freida, joy; Sheindel, pretty; Beyle, from Romance bella; Yentl, from Italian gentile; Elka and Elke from Germanic Adelheid. Reference books often struggle with these because they look for Hebrew and find none.
Meaningscholars disagree
Germanic adal, noble
Elka is a Yiddish and Polish familiar form, most often of Elke, itself from Adelheid, built on Germanic adal, noble. It also serves as a diminutive of Elisheva and of Ella. The Yiddish women's name stock drew heavily on Germanic and Romance sources rather than Hebrew ones. The American peak is 1969.
How the name formed
- adal
- Adelheid
- Elke
- Elka
Related forms: Elke · Elka · Elke
Pronouncing Elka
EL-kah
Two syllables, stress on the first. Yiddish and Polish say the same. German Elke ends in a schwa rather than an open a.
Nicknames for Elka
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1943
- Most girls named
- 201521 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3318reached in 1969
- Change vs 2024
- −41.2%10 in 2025, from 17
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Elka in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Elke in Yiddish — same name
- Elka in Polish — same name
- Elke in German — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, New Jersey.
Elkas among us
people named Elka are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 160,727 born in 2025 was named Elka
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Fredrick test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Elka's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Fredrick climbed just as high around 1954, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Fredrick's path sketches the road Elka is walking now.
Elka sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Elka beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Elka in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Four letters and two syllables, easy in several languages.
- El works as a short form.
- It belongs to a well-documented naming tradition.
- Elke is the commoner spelling in German.
- It reads as a familiar form rather than a formal name.
- Several parent names are possible.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Elka to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Elka? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Elka
Feminine · #9457 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Elkas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Elka are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Elka in 2025?
- Elka ranks #9457 among US girl names in 2025, with 10 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Elka?
- About 1 in every 160,727 US girls born in 2025 was named Elka — 10 in all.
- Will my child share the name Elka with classmates?
- Elka will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Elka
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Leta#9457 · Inga#9457 · Delphia#9457 · Cammie#9457 · Lisandra#9457 · Amee#9457 · Venecia#9457 · Annetta#9457
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Elka? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Elka and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle