| Rhiannon | Elin | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | great queen | Light |
| Origin | welsh | Welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ree-AN-un | EL-in |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1974 | 1893 |
| Peak year | 1999 (651) | 2011 (428) |
| In 2025 | 210 | 53 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Rhiannon | Elin |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,245 | 553 |
| 2010s | 1,444 | 3,032 |
| 2000s | 4,075 | 369 |
| 1990s | 3,833 | 143 |
| 1980s | 3,276 | 145 |
| 1970s | 1,666 | 111 |
| 1960s | 0 | 109 |
| 1950s | 0 | 138 |
| 1940s | 0 | 164 |
| 1930s | 0 | 77 |
| 1920s | 0 | 85 |
| 1910s | 0 | 87 |
| 1900s | 0 | 25 |
| 1890s | 0 | 14 |
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.
Elin is the Welsh form of Helen, “light” or “torch.”
Rhiannon is more popular than Elin today: about 210 US babies were given the name Rhiannon in 2025, compared with 53 named Elin.
Rhiannon means great queen (welsh origin), while Elin means Light (Welsh origin).
In US records, Rhiannon first appears in 1974 and Elin in 1893, so Elin has the longer recorded history.