Namewise

Elle vs Rae

Elle and Raecompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.

Head to head

Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.

  • Republic of Ireland · Girls

    In 2025, Elle was ranked #189 and Rae #608 among girls in Republic of Ireland.

  • Scotland · Girls

    In 2024, Elle was ranked #260 and Rae #244 among girls in Scotland.

  • Northern Ireland · Girls

    In 2024, Elle was ranked #253 and Rae #337 among girls in Northern Ireland.

  • England and Wales · Girls

    In 2024, Elle was ranked #583 and Rae #347 among girls in England and Wales.

Elle and Rae over time

Elle and Rae appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Elle held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Rae in 0.

The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.

Elle reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Rae in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.

Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.

List by list

  • England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 19962024

    Elle held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Rae in 10.

    Highest recorded here: Elle #93 in 2002, Rae #282 in 2021.

    The order changed in 2016: Rae moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #625 and #708; by 2016 that had become #693 and #377.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Elle #583, Rae #347.

Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.

Side by side

Side-by-side comparison of Elle, Rae
FieldElleRae
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagefemalefemale
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Syllables21
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NOGB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE
Most recent popularity observationRepublic of Ireland · Girls #189 (2025)Republic of Ireland · Girls #608 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)95/10095/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Elle has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Rae.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE.

How each name got here

Elle

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1993

    First recorded at #628 among girls in Norway in 1993 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1998–2024

    Highest recorded position: #89 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2003 (recorded 1998–2024).

    Northern Ireland · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #342 among girls in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Girls

Rae

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1996

    First recorded at #823 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    England and Wales · Girls

  2. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #608 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.

    Republic of Ireland · Girls