| Elin | Rhiannon | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Light | great queen |
| Origin | Welsh | welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EL-in | ree-AN-un |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1893 | 1974 |
| Peak year | 2011 (428) | 1999 (651) |
| In 2025 | 53 | 210 |
| Trend | Declining | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Elin | Rhiannon |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 553 | 1,245 |
| 2010s | 3,032 | 1,444 |
| 2000s | 369 | 4,075 |
| 1990s | 143 | 3,833 |
| 1980s | 145 | 3,276 |
| 1970s | 111 | 1,666 |
| 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.”
Thought to derive from the reconstructed Celtic 'Rigantona', meaning 'great queen' (from the root 'rigani', queen). A figure of sovereignty in the Welsh Mabinogi. The reconstruction is scholarly, so the 'great queen' sense is widely accepted but not attested directly.
Rhiannon is more popular than Elin today: about 210 US babies were given the name Rhiannon in 2025, compared with 53 named Elin.
Elin means Light (Welsh origin), while Rhiannon means great queen (welsh origin).
In US records, Elin first appears in 1893 and Rhiannon in 1974, so Elin has the longer recorded history.