At a glance
- U.S. rank 2025
- Not in the 2025 data · last seen 2020 (#15,088)
- Babies in 2020
- 5 (<0.01% of girls)
- Peak
- #908 in 1892
- First recorded
- 1884
Meaning of Else
Else, pronounced EL-zuh, is a sprightly German diminutive of Elisabeth, the timeless Hebrew name meaning “God is my oath.” Over the decades she has pirouetted across American cradle-rolls—most notably in the 1920s and 1930s—before adopting the quieter, vintage-chic aura she enjoys today. Literary circles may recall the avant-garde poet Else Lasker-Schüler, while trivia lovers might smile at the way the word “else” hints at curiosity—inviting a child forever to ask, “What else can I do?” Compact yet lyrical, Else feels at home beside Indian favorites like Ira or Dia, her soft “e” and gentle “l” resonating like a temple bell at dusk. She offers parents a name that is both antique and ageless, sweet as ghee-soaked jalebi yet sturdy enough to weather any monsoon of life.
How to pronounce Else
German
- Pronounced EL-suh /ˈɛl.zə/
Popularity of Else in the U.S.
Else was last recorded in the U.S. in 2020, ranked #15,088 with 5 babies. It peaked at #908 in 1892. It first appears in the records in 1884.
- Rank among U.S. girl names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1884–2020 67 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5 | 15,088 | ▲ 451 |
| 2019 | 5 | 15,539 | ▼ 3,075 |
| 2018 | 7 | 12,464 | ▲ 1,660 |
| 2017 | 6 | 14,124 | back (not recorded in 2014–2016) |
| 2013 | 12 | 9,036 | ▲ 2,221 |
| 2012 | 9 | 11,257 | ▲ 2,090 |
| 2011 | 7 | 13,347 | ▲ 1,612 |
| 2010 | 6 | 14,959 | ▲ 283 |
| 2009 | 6 | 15,242 | ▲ 163 |
| 2008 | 6 | 15,405 | ▼ 2,729 |
| 2007 | 8 | 12,676 | ▲ 2,476 |
| 2006 | 6 | 15,152 | ▼ 5,024 |
| 2005 | 10 | 10,128 | ▲ 5,971 |
| 2004 | 5 | 16,099 | back (not recorded in 2003) |
| 2002 | 10 | 9,482 | ▲ 4,039 |
| 2001 | 6 | 13,521 | ▼ 4,358 |
| 2000 | 10 | 9,163 | ▲ 1,182 |
| 1999 | 8 | 10,345 | back (not recorded in 1995–1998) |
| 1994 | 6 | 11,778 | back (not recorded in 1979–1993) |
| 1978 | 5 | 9,750 | back (not recorded in 1975–1977) |
| 1974 | 6 | 7,680 | back (not recorded in 1969–1973) |
| 1968 | 6 | 6,246 | back (not recorded in 1963–1967) |
| 1962 | 5 | 6,578 | back (not recorded in 1960–1961) |
| 1959 | 6 | 5,566 | back (not recorded in 1957–1958) |
| 1956 | 6 | 5,325 | ▲ 503 |
| 1955 | 5 | 5,828 | back (not recorded in 1947–1954) |
| 1946 | 8 | 3,665 | back (not recorded in 1941–1945) |
| 1940 | 5 | 4,349 | back (not recorded in 1938–1939) |
| 1937 | 8 | 3,146 | ▼ 289 |
| 1936 | 9 | 2,857 | ▼ 651 |
| 1935 | 14 | 2,206 | ▲ 218 |
| 1934 | 12 | 2,424 | ▲ 264 |
| 1933 | 10 | 2,688 | ▼ 453 |
| 1932 | 14 | 2,235 | ▲ 1,262 |
| 1931 | 7 | 3,497 | ▼ 442 |
| 1930 | 9 | 3,055 | ▲ 339 |
| 1929 | 8 | 3,394 | ▼ 897 |
| 1928 | 13 | 2,497 | ▲ 362 |
| 1927 | 11 | 2,859 | ▼ 151 |
| 1926 | 12 | 2,708 | back (not recorded in 1925) |
| 1924 | 6 | 4,434 | ▼ 58 |
| 1923 | 6 | 4,376 | ▲ 633 |
| 1922 | 5 | 5,009 | ▼ 1,845 |
| 1921 | 10 | 3,164 | ▲ 793 |
| 1920 | 7 | 3,957 | ▼ 1,442 |
| 1919 | 13 | 2,515 | ▲ 1,776 |
| 1918 | 6 | 4,291 | ▼ 1,598 |
| 1917 | 11 | 2,693 | ▲ 859 |
| 1916 | 7 | 3,552 | ▼ 418 |
| 1915 | 8 | 3,134 | back (not recorded in 1914) |
| 1913 | 7 | 2,540 | ▼ 180 |
| 1912 | 7 | 2,360 | back (not recorded in 1908–1911) |
| 1907 | 6 | 1,821 | back (not recorded in 1905–1906) |
| 1904 | 6 | 1,659 | back (not recorded in 1903) |
| 1902 | 5 | 1,793 | back (not recorded in 1901) |
| 1900 | 7 | 1,561 | back (not recorded in 1899) |
| 1898 | 6 | 1,502 | back (not recorded in 1897) |
| 1896 | 7 | 1,292 | ▼ 360 |
| 1895 | 12 | 932 | ▲ 553 |
| 1894 | 5 | 1,485 | ▼ 530 |
| 1893 | 10 | 955 | ▼ 47 |
| 1892 | 11 | 908 | ▲ 185 |
| 1891 | 7 | 1,093 | ▲ 6 |
| 1890 | 7 | 1,099 | back (not recorded in 1888–1889) |
| 1887 | 5 | 1,147 | ▼ 39 |
| 1886 | 5 | 1,108 | back (not recorded in 1885) |
| 1884 | 5 | 1,024 | new |
Notable people named Else
- Else Peerenboom-Missong was a German economist, social worker and politician who helped establish the Christian Democratic Union in the Rhineland.
- Else Lasker-Schuler was a German Jewish poet and playwright known for her Expressionist works who fled Nazi Germany and settled in Jerusalem.
- Else Marie Pade was a pioneering Danish composer who became Denmark's first composer of electronic and concrete music in 1954.
- Else Brems was a Danish opera singer celebrated for her performances as Carmen across Europe.
- Else Alfelt was a Danish abstract painter and one of only two women in the avant-garde COBRA movement.
More people named Else 10 more
- Else Jerusalem was an Austrian writer and feminist best known for her bestselling 1909 novel exploring prostitution in Vienna.
- Else Gentner-Fischer was a German operatic soprano celebrated for her Wagnerian roles during her long career at Oper Frankfurt.
- Else Holmelund Minarik was an American author best known for her beloved Little Bear children's books, which inspired a television series.
- Else von Richthofen — Else Jaffe, born Elisabeth von Richthofen, was one of Germany's first female social scientists.
- Else Berg was a German-born Dutch Jewish painter associated with the Bergense School who was murdered in the Holocaust alongside her husband, painter Mommie Schwarz.
- Else Paaske is a celebrated Danish mezzo-soprano and educator known for her performances of Lieder and oratorios.
- Else Cathrine Heiberg was a Norwegian actress.
- Else Petersen was a Danish stage and film actress who appeared in 44 films from 1936 to 1993.
- Else Torp is a Danish soprano born in Roskilde in 1968.
- Else Meidner was a German Jewish painter.