Elvera vs Elvie
American parents have registered 5,200 Elveras since 1880, against 3,429 Elvies. But in 2025 it was Elvie that was commoner, 38 babies to fewer than five.
Babies given each name, 1880–2025
Elvera Elvie
Each line is every baby given the name that year, girls and boys added together — the only count that means the same thing for both names. A line breaks where the name fell below five babies in a year — the point at which the SSA stops publishing it — rather than being drawn through a figure nobody published. A single published year in a gap shows as a dot.
Who was ahead
Of the 117 years in which either name was published, Elvera for 67 years and Elvie for 50 years. The lead changed hands 24 times.
- 1881–1897 Elvie ahead
- 1906–1955 Elvera ahead, apart from one short spell
- 1958–1973 Elvie ahead, apart from one short spell
- 1974–2012 Elvera ahead, apart from one short spell
- 2013–2025 Elvie ahead
17 shorter spells of a year or two are folded into the spans above rather than listed separately.
Side by side
| Elvera | Elvie | |
|---|---|---|
| Total US births | 5,200 | 3,429 |
| Most in one year | 219 | 115 |
| Babies in 2025 | under 5 | 38 |
| Estimated living today | 780 | 790 |
| Median age today | 78 | 67 |
| Peak year | 1921 | 1917 |
| Best rank | 464th girls | 729th girls |
| Rank in 2025 | unranked | 3,832nd |
| First recorded | 1887 | 1881 |
| Girls / boys | 5,200 / 0 | 2,704 / 725 |
A rank is a position within one sex’s list for one year, so the two rank rows are not subtracted from one another and the winning column is not marked on them. The living figure is a life-table estimate, not a count.
Which name is older
Half of the Elveras alive today are over 78; half the Elvies are over 67. That is 11 years between them: two names in use at the same time, worn by two different generations.
Where each one is strongest
- Elvera Minnesota (5.8×), Nebraska (4.8×), Wisconsin (3.0×)
- Elvie Louisiana (10.9×), Alabama (9.2×), Mississippi (6.8×)
How much commoner the name is in that state than it is nationally, from births recorded since 1910.
Compare something else
Related comparisons
Social Security Administration birth records, 1880–2025, public domain. Full histories: Elvera and Elvie.