Holding steady, #4,857 for boys today.
Popularity of Elson since 1911
Babies named Elson per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1924, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Elson's real moment was 1911.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 107 |
| 1920s | 167 |
| 1930s | 123 |
| 1940s | 127 |
| 1950s | 88 |
| 1960s | 68 |
| 1970s | 91 |
| 1980s | 96 |
| 1990s | 106 |
| 2000s | 124 |
| 2010s | 148 |
| 2020s | 88 |
Meaning & origin
Elson is a rare English name that first appeared in American birth records in 1911, where it reached its peak rank of 4857. That year, it was given to a small number of newborns, and it has remained uncommon ever since, with about 1 in 85,404 boys receiving the name in 2025 according to Social Security data. The trajectory of its usage has been stable at very low levels, with no significant revival in recent decades. The name may have originated as a surname, possibly meaning "son of Ellis," and it has never been associated with any top states for popularity. Elson has a vintage feel, akin to other early 20th-century names like Elmer and Elwin.
Elson is a surname-derived given name, first recorded as a first name in the early 20th century in the United States. As a surname, it is thought to be a patronymic meaning "son of Ellis" or possibly derived from the place name Elston in England. The name saw its highest popularity in 1911, the year it first appeared in Social Security records, and has since declined steeply in use, remaining very rare.
“Elson” around the world
Where Elson lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
5
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: El, Sonny
Sibling names for Elson
Names that share Elson's style, for a brother or sister.
