Elspeth vs Elston
American parents have registered 1,125 Elstons since 1880, against 919 Elspeths. But in 2025 it was Elspeth that was commoner, 14 babies to 6.
Babies given each name, 1880–2025
Elspeth Elston
Each line is every baby given the name that year, girls and boys added together — the only count that means the same thing for both names. A line breaks where the name fell below five babies in a year — the point at which the SSA stops publishing it — rather than being drawn through a figure nobody published. A single published year in a gap shows as a dot.
Who was ahead
Of the 107 years in which either name was published, Elston for 57 years and Elspeth for 50 years. The lead changed hands 13 times.
- 1911–1980 Elston ahead, apart from 3 short spells
- 1981–2025 Elspeth ahead, apart from one short spell
8 shorter spells of a year or two are folded into the spans above rather than listed separately.
Side by side
| Elspeth | Elston | |
|---|---|---|
| Total US births | 919 | 1,125 |
| Most in one year | 39 | 50 |
| Babies in 2025 | 14 | 6 |
| Estimated living today | 830 | 680 |
| Median age today | 28 | 57 |
| Peak year | 1984 | 1961 |
| Best rank | 2,421st girls | 1,108th boys |
| Rank in 2025 | 7,491st | 10,695th |
| First recorded | 1914 | 1911 |
| Girls / boys | 919 / 0 | 5 / 1,120 |
A rank is a position within one sex’s list for one year, so the two rank rows are not subtracted from one another and the winning column is not marked on them. The living figure is a life-table estimate, not a count.
Which name is older
Half of the Elstons alive today are over 57; half the Elspeths are over 28. That is 29 years between them: two names in use at the same time, worn by two different generations.
Compare something else
Related comparisons
Social Security Administration birth records, 1880–2025, public domain. Full histories: Elspeth and Elston.