Eilan
A Hebrew name derived from the word "ilon" meaning "tree".
Name Census estimates that about 226 living Americans carry the first name Eilan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eilan today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eilan births was 2024 (53 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eilan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Eilan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
226
~ 1 in 1,516,612 Americans
Peak year
2024
53 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,528
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Eilan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eilan from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 139 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eilan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Eilan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Eilans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Arizona recorded the most babies named Eilan, while New York, North Carolina, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Eilan
The name Eilan has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language, derived from the words "eilean" meaning "island" and "an" meaning "the". It dates back to at least the 16th century in the Scottish Highlands and Hebrides islands, where it was commonly used as a surname for people living on or originating from certain islands.
While the name Eilan is not found in any major religious texts or ancient historical records, it does appear in several Scottish genealogical records and local histories from the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances is Eilan MacLean, who was born around 1570 on the Isle of Mull and served as a clan chief.
Another notable figure was Eilan MacLeod, born in 1625 on the Isle of Skye, who was a renowned poet and storyteller in the Gaelic tradition. His works helped preserve many oral histories and legends of the Hebrides islands.
In the 18th century, Eilan MacKinnon, born in 1715 on the Isle of Mull, became a respected clan leader and fought alongside the Jacobite forces during the 1745 uprising against the British crown.
Moving into the 19th century, Eilan Cameron, born in 1810 on the Isle of Islay, was a prominent figure in the Scottish Gaelic revival movement, working to promote and preserve the language and culture.
Lastly, Eilan Macmillan, born in 1885 on the Isle of Lewis, was a renowned author and historian who wrote extensively about the history and traditions of the Outer Hebrides islands.
While the name Eilan has traditionally been more common as a surname in Scotland, its use as a given name, particularly for boys, has become more widespread in recent times, though still relatively rare compared to other Scottish names.
People
Eilan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eilan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eilan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eilan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 226 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eilan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,516,612 US residents.
Is Eilan a common name?
We classify Eilan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 228 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eilan most popular?
The single biggest year for Eilan was 2024, when 53 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eilan is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Eilan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eilan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eilan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Eilan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eilan in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Eilan can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Eilan as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Eilan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.