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Home › Baby Names Directory › Elayne

Elayne

♀ Girl

Pronounced ee-LAYN /iˈleɪn/High

Meaning: Variant of Elaine, the Old French form of Helen, from Greek for 'torch, light'High

In 30 seconds: Elaine with a y-flourish: Elayne carries Helen's torchlight — 'bright, shining' — through the Arthurian lily-maid's name. Camelot romance in a 1960s-modern spelling.
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Origin HighFrench, Greek
MeaningVariant of Elaine, the Old French form of Helen, from Greek for 'torch, light'
U.S. rank (2025)#3732 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births40 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1946
Total births (all-time)≈ 4,114

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 194619122025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Elayne is a y-spelled variant of Elaine — the Old French form of Helen, Greek helene, 'torch, light' — borne by the tragic lily maid of Arthurian legend. The -ayne spelling joins Elaine's mid-twentieth-century popularity with a touch of individuality.

It registers thinly as a rare variant. Light-rooted, Arthurian, and softly modernized.

Did you know? Elaine of Astolat — the 'lily maid' who died of unrequited love for Lancelot — inspired Tennyson's 'Lady of Shalott', one of Victorian poetry's most haunting images.
Overall data confidence 85%
Behind the Name — Elaine — etymology

Variations

ElaineElainaLainey

Nicknames

LaineyElle

Famous Bearers

  • ★Elayne Boosler (1952-)
    American stand-up comedian and animal rights activist

If you like Elayne…

Elaine— the standard spelling of the same name
Elaina— the -a sister form
Lainey— the nickname-name version
Helena— the grand original 'light' name

Explore names like Elayne

By themegreekfrenchmodern-spellingarthurian
By meaningLight

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Elayne mean?

Elayne is a variant of Elaine, the Old French form of Helen, from Greek for 'torch, light'.

How do you pronounce Elayne?

It's said ee-LAYN /iˈleɪn/ — two syllables, stress on the second.

Is Elayne a boy or girl name?

Elayne is a girl's name.

How popular is Elayne?

Elayne is a rare spelling in the U.S.; Elaine is the familiar form.

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