Elaine

Honestly, I don't get the hate. Elaine is short, easy to remember, but also classical and elegant. Plus, Ellie is a cute nickname.

Not a fan of this name for a girl, it sounds old and outdated and when I think of a girl having this name, I picture an old lady or a grandma.

Elaine drives a Hyundai. Which Hyundai you may ask? An Elantra.

Elaine; elated; elation.

I kinda like it! Elaine has a great sound!

I love the name Elaine. Very classic and beautiful. I love the association with the Tennyson poem, too. AND the Katharine Ross character Elaine in “The Graduate.” :-)

Ugly! Elaina is slightly better and Elain is even worse.

My name is Elaine. Everyone who thinks it's a pretty name isn't named Elaine. I swear I hate my name so much and of course I'm named after the Seinfeld character. It is a very basic and old lady-ish name that I admit, kind of fits me but I still hate it. My sister has always called me Elaina which I hate even more. Also, it sucks having a name that was the most popular in the 1940s. Basically means most people named Elaine are in their 70s to 80s. I'm thinking about making my nickname Ellie (I don't think Laine fits me) but it would be a little awkward suddenly asking everyone to call me Ellie.

I love it soooooooooooooooooo much! Gorgeous! This name is so beautiful, and pretty, and fitting for even a princess! Thanks a lot to the critical comments for making people hate the name. But I love this name and would use it at anytime, and this ages so thoroughly! I would love this to be my name! I have heard it before, but this is so NOT outdated and amazing!

It's so beautiful! And it fits any age! Gorgeous!

My sister's name is Elaine. And I couldn’t think of a prettier name. It is sweet and beautiful. My sister is very pretty just like her name. So beautiful.

It is a gorgeous name. :)

So pretty! Perfect for a princess.

Very dignified and romantic. Good for a serious person who likes having fun.

I love this name because it makes me think of the Seinfeld character, whom I love!

I have a best friend of over twenty years called Elaine. Together we are Grace and Elaine I think they go quite famously together don't you think.

I like this name, although it is a family name (great grandma), so it does feel dated. We are thinking of Eliana which is softer, more elegant sounding.

Pretty and dignified. It doesn't sound dated at all.

I love the name Elaine, it's fresh, fun and spunky. Don't hate your name, be proud of it, it is you!

My name is Elaine and I HATE it I am 39 years old and have only ever met 3 other Elaines and they were 100 years old (slight exaggeration!) It's an old ladies' name and I can not see any young person wanting to grow up with this name. I have always used a nickname.

I was born Elaine. I never felt any like or dislike for the name. I just think it fits me to a T. I am definitely an Elaine - no doubt about it.

This is my friend's older sister’s name. I guess it’s fine.

I think it's a cute name, but it sounds a little old-fashioned, in my opinion. I think nowadays it would be better as a middle name. But it's still a pretty-sounding name for sure.

My name is Elaine and I do not like it. While I do not like overly common names it is not fun growing up not knowing anyone else with your name besides 80 year old ladies. I do agree it is a pretty name but if I were a parent I would choose is as a middle name or add something to it to make it more modern (ex. Elaina or Lainey). Based on other comments I do not think most younger people like this as their name and would prefer something different.

Call me weird, but this name makes me think of girls and women who have learnt to drive as teenagers. Maybe I just think of driving down 'a lane'.

This name is so beautiful - much prettier than “Helen.” I just want to say it over and over again... also an excellent middle name.

This is my mom’s English name, and to me it fits her well. The name is elegant, classic, refined, pretty, and just makes me think of a smart girl. However, I do think that the name is kinda old, so if you are thinking about naming your daughter “Elaine”, you should think about using other forms of it, for example, Eliana. But that’s just my opinion!

This is my grandmother's name and it is super pretty!

I was named Elaine before Seinfeld ever aired so I didn't have to deal with that association. There was an Elaine on Taxi when I was a kid. Other than that, I never met very many other Elaines except older women or people who would tell me that was their grandmother's name. As a kid I didn't think very much about it. It was simply my name. As I got older I wished my mother had swapped my first and middle name to be Catherine Elaine instead of Elaine Catherine. I could have gone by Catherine or Cate, which I find preferable to Elaine. However, I had a Greek aunt whose name was Helen and I was named after her. I also preferred Elaina or Eleni (Greek) to Elaine. I just pretty much just live with it. I don't really hate it but it's not common for sure. I too cannot stand when people pronounce it Ah-Laine. Just sounds dumb. Eh-lain or Ee-laine is the proper pronunciation.

Love it. Not too common, a pretty sweet name.

Very pretty, and I would love to see it used more. I picture an intelligent girl in college who's working hard to get her degree as a doctor or lawyer or something.

My first name is Elaine. I've been playfully teased about the Seinfeld thing, one kid in grade school always reminded me my name rhymed with insane. I hated it as a youth, often going by Laine instead. I can't stand it when it's pronounced ah-laine, it sounds so lazy and dumb. It's taken a while, but it's really grown on me and I'm glad it's my name! Especially when it's pronounced Ēlaine.

Wow. Um, my name's Elaine Joy and I've always hated it.
I don't know why, but I strongly dislike it but I want to change that. Although now, liking it feels like swallowing a stone while pretending it's a marshmallow.

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But your comments helped a lot! So thank you, really :)

Beautiful! I'm ready to see Elaine and Elaina come back!

Reminds me of chicken-rice soup in which all the broth has boiled away and the gummy rice is left sticking to the pan. Not sure why. But I like Laine or Lainey.

I'll admit, the name Elaine is really pretty, kind of short, sweet, and to the point, with plenty of possibilities for nicknames. My middle name is Elainee, and nicknames I've gotten just from my middle name are Elle, Laine, Lainey, and from my first name and middle both, Elle is kind of a common nickname.

This is my friend's middle name, and she hates it. But I've started to like it, the more I think about it. Ellie is a good nickname.

Elaine is dated, but it's grown on me--I think it's a very pretty name. And it goes well with the other girl names I want to use: Estelle (star) and Celeste (sky) as twins; Clarisse (bright) and Lucille (light)--and then I suppose Elaine, which means "torch."

This name is simply beautiful!

My first thought upon hearing this name is always of Elaine from Seinfeld. She was hilarious, but sort of a terrible person (like everyone else on the show.) Considering Seinfeld is constantly in re-runs, if you name your kid this, they will probably never be able to shake the association.

I love the Arthurian resonances that this name has. Elaine is so pretty; I'm really not sure why this name hasn't taken off along with Eleanor, Ella, Ellie, etc. Lately, given its very similar sound. Despite the Seinfeld connection, this name doesn't feel middle ages to me at all, and I can absolutely picture it on a little girl.

I love this name. I think Elaine sounds very medieval because of the King Arthur stories.

This is one of my favorite names. ^_^ I think it's very elegant and beautiful.

Elaine is a beautiful and elegant name.

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"Elaine the fair, Elaine the lovable/ Elaine the lily maid of Astolat" - that's from the Tennyson poem, Lancelot and Elaine. I'm in two minds about whether the poem is a pro or a con. On the one hand, it's a beautiful poem, and the character Elaine is a sweet, devoted, wilful and loving character. On the other hand, she dies of unrequited love.

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There'a also an Abba song called Elaine:

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"You hate, you scream, you swear
And still you never reach him
You curse, you try to scare
But you can never teach him
It’s a dead end street
They tie your hands and tie your feet
And the street is narrow
A nowhere lane
A nowhere train for Elaine, Elaine, Elaine"

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... and it continues in that vein!

I don't mind the gender-neutral Lane, but this name has annoyed me for quite some time, can't explain why. I guess it sounds a bit like the name of a snotty girl or woman.

I agree with everyone who thinks this name is absolutely fabulous. I once gave a character the name of “Elaine Baines” and never got over how cool [I thought] it sounded.

Well it's my name, ELAINE and it's great! I used to hate it but now i'm proud to have such a name! It's the best name in the world. :D

I'm sure this is a great name, but I can't get past the Seinfield thing.

I agree with all that was said of this name. It is my best friend's name, and she hates it! Which I can't believe, it's lovely. She goes by Lainey (still cute), but I'm the only one who gets by with calling her Elaine. Sometimes. ;)

*Elaine* is elegant and beautiful. Steeped in legend, this name brings grace and charm to she who bears it. A female of any age and any station could carry it off; I do not agree that this name suits only those with classic good looks.

One of my best friends is Elaine, and it does suit her. And yes she is really pretty!

Elaine is probably the most beautiful name ever written and invented. One must have a great physical appearance to wear this name.

Elaine is an elegant name. It totally suits almost any woman. It's short and sweet. :-)