| Elin | Carys | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Light | Love |
| Origin | Welsh | welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EL-in | KA-ris |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1893 | 1991 |
| Peak year | 2011 (428) | 2006 (196) |
| In 2025 | 53 | 32 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Elin | Carys |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 553 | 189 |
| 2010s | 3,032 | 933 |
| 2000s | 369 | 1,123 |
| 1990s | 143 | 82 |
| 1980s | 145 | 0 |
| 1970s | 111 | 0 |
| 1960s | 109 | 0 |
| 1950s | 138 | 0 |
| 1940s | 164 | 0 |
| 1930s | 77 | 0 |
| 1920s | 85 | 0 |
| 1910s | 87 | 0 |
| 1900s | 25 | 0 |
| 1890s | 14 | 0 |
Elin is the Welsh form of Helen, “light” or “torch.”
A modern Welsh name formed from the stem of the verb caru 'to love' (compare car 'beloved friend', cariad 'love'). A genuine Welsh 'love' root; the variant Cerys is read the same way.
Elin is more popular than Carys today: about 53 US babies were given the name Elin in 2025, compared with 32 named Carys.
Elin means Light (Welsh origin), while Carys means Love (welsh origin).
In US records, Elin first appears in 1893 and Carys in 1991, so Elin has the longer recorded history.