girl's name
Elektra
ih-LEK-truh (English)
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 1,225
Elektra is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "amber" or "shining." It's best known from Greek tragedy, where Elektra, daughter of Agamemnon, helps her brother avenge their father's murder, and the name shares its root with the English word electricity.
- Elektra is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2005, when 79 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 184,196 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1985.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Elektra Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1980s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 12 |
| 1990s | 54 |
| 2000s | 379 |
| 2010s | 271 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 112 |
What Elektra Means
Elektra means amber or bright, from a Greek word for the shining yellow resin. The name has a brilliant, intense quality that suits the fierce heroine who made it famous.
Where Elektra Comes From
Elektra comes from Greek elektron, amber, a word related to elektor, the beaming sun. Ancient Greeks noticed that rubbed amber attracts light objects, and that observation, centuries later, gave modern science the word electricity. The name appears on several figures in myth, among them one of the Pleiades, but the daughter of Agamemnon dominates. Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides each wrote her story. The K spelling stays closer to the Greek than the Latinized Electra. Richard Strauss's 1909 opera used it too, and Carl Jung's term Electra complex spread the name through psychology.
Elektra in Use
Modern audiences often know the name from Marvel Comics' Elektra Natchios or from Elektra King, the James Bond villain of The World Is Not Enough. The American record label Elektra uses the same K spelling.
How Popular Is Elektra?
In 2025, Elektra was given to 18 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Elektra Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Elektra
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Elektra Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Elektra over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Elektra
- English ih-LEK-truh
Elektra in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Greek
- Electra
Sibling Names for Elektra
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Elektra — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Elektra
What does the name Elektra mean?
Amber or shining, from the Greek word elektron.
Who was Elektra in Greek mythology?
The daughter of Agamemnon, who helped her brother Orestes avenge their father's murder.
Is Elektra related to the word electricity?
Yes. Both come from the Greek word for amber, which attracts small objects when rubbed.
How popular is the name Elektra?
In 2025, Elektra was given to 18 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Elektra a girl's or a boy's name?
Elektra is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Elektra?
Elektra has 3 syllables.
When was Elektra most popular?
Elektra peaked in 2005, when 79 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Elektra a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Elektra currently ranks #2,645 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.