Elaine

eh-LAYNE, ee-LAYNE
French and Scottish
"bright, shining light"

Elaine Origin and Meaning

The name Elaine is a girl's name of French, Scottish origin meaning "bright, shining light".

This old Scottish form of Helen has had quite a history, going from appearing as one of the shining heroines of the Arthurian legends, the princess who fell in love with Sir Lancelot and became the mother of Sir Galahad, referred to as 'Elaine the fair' and 'Elaine the lovable', to being the name of the most famous of New York's celebrity restaurants, to being the archetypal New York neurotic on Seinfeld.

Elaine is a homophone for French Helene, just one of many names that a was imported to Scotland during the centuries that Scotland and France had a mutual enemy in England.

Elaine entered the Top 100 in the early 1920s, and remained there for close to forty years, peaking at Number 42. Now, after a long slump, we see signs of a possible rise along with all the other El-names. For parents looking for a more unusual name, try Yvaine.

# 381 in the US

Elaine Rank in US Top 1000

# 327 on Nameberry

Elaine Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Elaine Popularity

Famous People Named Elaine

  • (Katherine) Elaine Hendrix
    American actress
  • Elaine Iva May
    American director/actress
  • Elaine Yiu
    Hong Kong actress
  • Elaine Paige (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff)
    English singer and actress
  • Elaine Ingham
    American microbiologist
  • Elaine Hamilton
    O'Neal, American painter
  • Elaine Lobl (E.L.) Konigsburg
    American children's novelist
  • Elaine Miles
    American actress
  • Elaine Stritch
    American actress and singer
  • Elaine Marie Catherine de Kooning (born Elaine Marie Fried)
    American painter, wife of painter Willem de Kooning
  • Elaine Jin
    Chinese actress
  • Elaine Youngs
    American Olympic beach volleyball player
  • Elaine Tyler May
    American historian and author
  • Elaine Showalter
    American literary critic
  • Elaine Fifield
    Australian ballerina

Elaine in Pop Culture

  • Elaine Marie Benes
    a main character on TV's "Seinfeld"'
  • Elaine of Astolat
    Arthurian legendary figure
  • Elaine Jenkinson
    from the British TV series "Broadchurch"
  • Lady Elaine
    character in Barbara Cartland's book The Ruthless Rake
  • Elaine Austen
    character in video game "Sims 3" Moonlight Bay
  • Elaine Robinson
    character in book/movie "The Graduate"
  • "The Exploits of Elaine
    " 1914 film serial
  • "Elaine
    " song by ABBA
  • "Miss Elaine"
    song by Run–D.M.C.
  • Elaine Marley
    main character in video game series Monkey Island
  • "Elaine
    " opera by Herman Bemberg
  • Elaine of Corbenic
    legendary Arthurian figure
  • Elaine "Ellie
    " character in novel "Avalon High"
  • "Elaine's Big Day
    " episode of TV's 'New Girl'
  • Elaine Dickinson
    character in the movie "Airplane!"
  • Elaine
    character in the manga/anime "Seven Deadly Sins"
  • Elaine
    main character in the movie 'The Love Witch'