boy's name

El

  • Origin Dutch
  • Gender Boy
  • Syllables 1
  • Letters 2
  • Popularity Top 1000 (France)
  • Births on record 4,217

France

#688

2025 births

El is a boy's name with 1 syllable. In 2023 it was given to 5 babies in the United States. It is a well-established, commonly used name.

  • El is a name of Dutch origin.
  • Peaked in France in 2016, when 95 babies were given the name.
  • It has been rising over the past decade in France.
  • Today about 1 in 9,825 babies in France is given this name.
  • First appears in birth records in 1947.
  • 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.

El over time

Births per decade in France, 1940s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.

745
'40 '50 '60 '70 '80 '90 '00 '10 '20
Show the numbers
Births named El by decade in France
Decade Births
1940s 5
1950s 50
1960s 155
1970s 375
1980s 700
1990s 545
2000s 650
2010s 745
2020s (to 2025) 450

How popular is El?

In 2025, El was given to 60 babies in France, ranking #688 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.

Where El is used

France #688 60 in 2025
Canada #2,106 9 in 2023
England & Wales #3,091 7 in 2025
United States #13,034 5 in 2023

The bar shows how near the top of each country's list the name sits, on a scale where #1 fills the row and #1,000 is a sliver. The figures beside it are the real rank and the babies recorded that year.

French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.

Names that peaked alongside El

These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.

Parents who like El also like

Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with El over the last century — the same taste, a different name.

Sibling names for El

Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with El — the two things that make a sibling set grate.

Common questions about El

How popular is the name El?

In 2025, El was given to 60 babies in France, ranking #688 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.

Is El a girl's or a boy's name?

El is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.

How many syllables are in El?

El has 1 syllable.

When was El most popular?

El peaked in 2016, when 95 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.

Is El a good name?

That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. El currently ranks #688 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.