Elke

For the 1988 punk song by Die Ärzte, see Elke (song).

Elke is a feminine given name. Different sources give different accounts of its origin. One source describes it as a Low German and East Frisian diminutive of Adelheid, meaning "of noble birth".[1] Another states that it originated as a Yiddish feminine variant of Elkan, which itself came from the Biblical name Elkanah.[2]

In English-speaking countries, the variant Elkie was popularised by the singer Elkie Brooks.[2] Other variants of the name include Elka and Alke.[1]

In the United States, the 1990 Census found that Elke was the 2,588th most common given name for women, being held by about 0.002% of the female population at the time, while the other variants Elkie, Elka, and Alke were not among the names held by at least 0.001% of the female population (the most common 4,275 names).[3]

People

Elke

Elka

Elkie

Fictional characters

References

  1. 1 2 Schaffer-Suchomel, Joachim (2009). Nomen est Omen: Die verborgene Botschaft der Vornamen - Von Adam bis Zarah. Arkana Publishing. pp. 47–48. ISBN 9783641016722. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 171. ISBN 9780198610601. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Names Files". 1990 Census. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 5 July 2016.

External links

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