Name of the Day: Elke
Heidi screams of the Swiss Alps, but how about this unusual related name?
Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Elke as Name of the Day.
With apologies to the stylish Miss Klum, there’s little fashionable about Heidi. Johanna Spyri’s character is enduring, but today the name seems stuck in the 70s.
If you remember your bedtime stories, you might recall that Spyri’s was christened Adelheid. From the Germanic elements adal – noble – and heid - rank, Adalhaid, Adalheidis or Adelaide has serious history. Back in the tenth century, the wife of Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great wore the name. She later became a saint.
Fast forward nearly one thousand years and King William IV of England married a German princess called Adelaide. She was aunt-by-marriage to the future Queen Victoria, and beloved by her subjects as well as her regal niece. Queen V named her eldest daughter Victoria Adelaide; the Australian city was also named in her honor.
Today, Ad- names are in favor:
- Addison (#12 in 2008) is the new Madison, along with predictable variants like Addisyn (#556);
- Antique Adelaide currently ranks #551, with shorter-but-similar Ada at #598;
- The equally vintage Adeline (#361) has inspired spin-offs like Adelyn and Adalynn, too.
What’s all this got to do with Elke? Head to Northern Germany, bordering the North Sea. In Frisian (a language that apparently owes a little something to German, Danish, Dutch and English), Adelke is a diminutive form of Adelaide. Shorten it even more, and you arrive at Elke.
I’m a bit unclear on pronunciation – I’ve seen both el KEE and EL kah suggested. In Germany, Elke was bestowed as an independent name in the 1940s, but has been on the decline for some time.
In the 1960s, Berlin-born Elke Sommer was all the range. Discovered while vacationing in Italy, she went appeared opposite famous actors like Peter Sellers, Dick Van Dyke and Dean Martin, snagging a Golden Globe for her role in The Prize, with Paul Newman. She also appeared in the pages of Playboy.
Before she was a pin-up, Elke was a literary character. German author Theodor Strom penned Der Shimmelreiter – Rider on the White Horse – in the nineteenth century, featuring a heroine called Elke. I’m not clear how influential Strom’s work might have been – and I’m not even sure if his Elke was a worthy namesake. But he was from Northern Germany, so there’s more confirmation that she was in use.
A second possible source is Hebrew. The Old Testament includes several minor – masculine – characters named Elkanah.
Just like Adelaide is boosted by Addison, Elke could rise with a cluster of El- names:
- At #19, Ella is the most popular, followed by sweet Ellie (#167) and trim Elle (#494);
- Elizabeth and her variants (Eliza, Elise, Elsa) are also in use;
- Other El- classics include Eleanor or Elinor.
Elke also shares something with the name of JLo’s daughter Emme. She might even serve as an alternative for the oh-so-popular Zoe.
Pronounced either el KEE or EL keh, Elke manages to be both brief and complete, unusual and accessible. If you’re hoping for a little bit Hollywood, a little bit German heritage, Elke could be the right choice.
Filed under: Names for Girls, Names of the Day, Nicknames, Reports, Silver Screen | 13 Comments
Tags: Ada, Adalhaid, Adalheidis, Adalynn, Addison, Addisyn, Adelaide, Adelheid, Adeline, Adelke, Adelyn, Eleanor, Elinor, Elise, Eliza, Elizabeth, Elkanah, Elke, Ella, Elle, Ellie, Elsa, Heidi, Zoe
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My grandma was from Friesland and grew up speaking Frisian. Her aunt was named Elke, the first syllable is pronounced sort of like a cross between ILL and EEL the second syllable -kah. When Aunt Elke immigrated to the US she went be Ida.
My mother also has a cousin whose given name is Helen Ruth, who is called Elke by the family. It’s a nice name, but in my mind, its too old-fashioned to use on a newborn.
Thanks, Julie – I really appreciate the pronunciation info!
I like it. It’s virtually unheard of around here and as such has no dated/fusty associations. I’d be wary of it getting shortened to the ubiquitous Ella. Perfectly innocuous and decent name is Ella but that would irk me.
I’ve also considered the very great grannyish and familial Ida but in NZ it would be EYE da through and through. Never EE da which I prefer.
I would like to go way outside my comfort zone and make use of the very dated Silke. I know it peaked in the 60′s/70′s in Germany but again, like Elke, it’s a very unfamiliar choice in NZ, so much so it will suffer similar pronunciation hassles – EL kee and SIL kee are more than likely. I have enough trouble with Isla and that’s top 30 for goodness sake.
I first heard the name Elka on a girl in the 1997 Real World Boston cast. I’ve loved it ever since. I prefer the look of Elke, but Elka works better in the U.S.
I remember her! Does that make us old?
I’m of German heritage and to me, the Elke screams nickname. It’s pretty, but I’d never put it on a birth certificate.
All antlers to me. Maybe it’s being raised in a family of outdoor enthusiasts…
Hearing it appeals to me more than seeing it. Guess that is how it goes with some names, though, eh?
As an Elke (I pronounce it el KEE), I couldn’t help but chime in on this topic. When I was a child I hated my name. Growing up in NY, it was odd, mispronounced constantly and in that I was a tomboy, was little help in determining my gender with the nuns in Catholic school who insisted on putting my in the boys group! But as an adult now, I love my name and wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s unique and unforgettable. In business, people know me just by my first name, because after all, I’m the only Elke they know!! In this day and age of unusual names, I wouldn’t hesitate to name my child Elke or any other “unusual” name with the belief that they too one day would benefit by being one of the few, rather than the many.
I’m w/ Panya on the Real World connotation. She was really pretty, if I remember she was kind of the “ingenue” part, and probably would be many of today’s mothers’ first association. I think it has a nice sound, just not for me.
Trying to remember…was she on with Genesis and Montana? That would have been quite a forward-named cast.
Just checked. Indeed, she was. Elka, Genesis, Montana, and a Syrus.
I can see the appeal, but, I just cannot like this. Reminds me of elk. I don’t hate it, there are other old fashioned German names I like better, like the similar sounding Elsa.
Hm. To me it’s a Jewish name. Elka is the middle name of a firend of mine from high school. I think when she first told me about it I made fun of it. But after a while, it seemed less humorous and more interesting.
My friends mom is named Elke, and funnily enough, she’s from Costa Rica. (Oh, and she pronounces El-Kee.)