Elham
A feminine Arabic name meaning "inspiration" or "divinely inspired".
Name Census estimates that about 416 living Americans carry the first name Elham. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 78.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Elham today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elham births was 2021 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elham. 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 Elham with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
416
~ 1 in 823,929 Americans
Peak year
2021
25 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,241
Tracked since 1974
Census
Elham in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,578 people with the first name Elham, which placed it at #6,257 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#6,257
National first-name rank
People counted
2.6K
2,578 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
76.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elham
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Elham is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Elham described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Elham at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.3% · 1,966
- Two or more races9.9% · 255
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.9% · 179
- Black or African American5.7% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Elham
Elham is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 427 total registrations, 92 (21.5%) were male and 335 (78.5%) were female.
Elham as a male name
- Ranked #6,241 in 2024
- 14 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (14 births)
Elham as a female name
- Ranked #15,911 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (15 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Elham leans strongly female. 2,397 people counted with this name were female (92.9%), compared with 182 male bearers (7.1%).
Popularity
Elham: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elham from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 117 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
Elham 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 Elham during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elhams live
Origin
Meaning and history of Elham
Elham is a Persian name with origins rooted in ancient Iran. It is derived from the Middle Persian word "Ehlām," meaning "ray of light" or "radiance." This name holds great significance in Persian culture and has been used since ancient times.
The earliest recorded use of the name Elham can be traced back to the Sassanid Empire, which ruled over ancient Persia from the 3rd to the 7th century CE. During this period, the name appeared in various historical records and inscriptions, often associated with individuals of noble birth or those holding important positions in the royal court.
In the realm of Persian literature, the name Elham has been mentioned in several works, including the celebrated epic poem "Shahnameh" (Book of Kings) by the renowned poet Ferdowsi. This epic, composed in the late 10th century CE, contains references to characters bearing the name Elham, further solidifying its historical roots.
Throughout the centuries, several notable figures have borne the name Elham. One prominent example is Elham Arya, a renowned Persian poet and scholar who lived during the 11th century CE. Her poetic works have been widely celebrated and have left a lasting impact on Persian literature.
Another notable figure is Elham Rokni, a prominent Iranian artist and calligrapher from the 16th century CE. Her intricate calligraphic works adorned numerous mosques and palaces throughout Iran, earning her widespread recognition and admiration.
In the realm of religion, the name Elham has also been associated with several influential figures. Elham al-Nabulsi was a prominent Islamic scholar and Sufi mystic who lived in the 17th century CE. His teachings and writings have had a profound impact on the spiritual traditions of the region.
Moving forward in time, Elham Maleki was a celebrated Iranian painter and artist who lived during the 19th century CE. Her vibrant and expressive works captured the essence of Persian culture and have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums around the world.
Elham Gheytanchi, born in 1983, is a contemporary Iranian-American social activist and author. Her work has focused on promoting human rights, gender equality, and social justice, making her a prominent voice in modern times.
These are just a few examples of the many notable figures throughout history who have borne the name Elham, each contributing to the rich tapestry of Persian culture, literature, art, and intellectual discourse.
People
Elham + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elham 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
Elham: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elham?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 416 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elham 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 823,929 US residents.
Is Elham a common name?
We classify Elham as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 427 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elham most popular?
The single biggest year for Elham was 2021, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elham is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Elham in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,578 people with the name Elham, or 0.85 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,257 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Elham in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Elham?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Elham leans strongly female. 2,397 people counted with this name were female (92.9%), compared with 182 male bearers (7.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Elham?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Elham is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Elham most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Elham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (1,966 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Elham in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elham a female name?
Yes, 78.5% of people registered as Elham in the SSA data are female. 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 Elham still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elham 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 Elham 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.
How many people are called Elham?
You can see how many Americans are named Elham on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.