Elke
| Pronunciation | Elke: German: [ˈɛlkə], English: /ˈɛlkə/ Elka: German: [ˈɛlka], English: /ˈɛlkə/ Elkie: English: /ˈɛlki/ Alke: German: [ˈalkə] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Language(s) | Low German and East Frisian, Yiddish |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | "of noble birth" |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Adelheid, Elkan, Elkanah, Elkie, Elka and Alke |
| Popularity | see popular names |
Elke (see panel for pronunciation) 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 German 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
[edit]Elke
[edit]- Elke Aberle (born 1950), German actress
- Elke Altmann (born 1957), German politician
- Elke Clijsters (born 1985), Belgian table tennis player
- Elke Drüll (born 1956), German field hockey player
- Elke Felten (born 1943), German sprint canoeist
- Elke Gebhardt (born 1983), German racing cyclist
- Elke Van Gorp (born 1995), Belgian football player
- Elke Hanel-Torsch (born 1981), Austrian politician
- Elke Heidenreich (born 1943), German journalist
- Elke Hipler (born 1978), German rower
- Elke Hoff (born 1957), German politician
- Elke-Karin Morciniec (born 1943), Polish equestrian
- Elke Karsten (born 1995), Argentine handball player
- Elke König (born 1954), German financial regulator
- Elke Krystufek (born 1970), Austrian artist
- Elke Maravilha (1945–2016), German-born Brazilian actress
- Elke Neidhardt (1941–2013), German-born Australian actress
- Elke Philipp (born 1964), German Paralympic equestrian
- Elke Radlingsmaier (born 1943), German fencer
- Elke Rehder (born 1953), German artist
- Elke Roex (born 1974), Belgian politician
- Elke Schall (born 1973), German table tennis player
- Elke Schmitter (born 1961), German journalist and author
- Elke Sehmisch (born 1955), German swimmer
- Elke Slagt-Tichelman (born 1977), Dutch politician
- Elke Sleurs (born 1968), Belgian politician
- Elke Sommer (born 1940), German actress
- Elke Reva Sudin (born 1987), American artist
- Elke Talma (born 1977), Seychellois swimmer
- Elke Tindemans (born 1961), Belgian politician
- Elke Tsang Kai-mong (1964–1994), Hong Kong drug trafficker
- Elke Twesten (born 1963), German politician
- Elke Vanhoof (born 1991), Belgian BMX rider
- Elke Voelker (born 1968), German organist
- Elke U. Weber, American business professor
- Elke Winkens (born 1970), German and Austrian actress
- Elke Wölfling (born 1971), Austrian hurdler
Elka
[edit]- Elka Graham (born 1981), Australian swimmer
- Elka de Levie (1905–1979), Dutch gymnast
- Elka Nikolova, Bulgarian-born American film director
- Elka Todorova (born 1956), Bulgarian sociologist and psychologist
- Elka Wardega, Australian makeup artist
Elkie
[edit]- Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder, 1945), English singer
- Elkie Chong (born Chong Ting-yan, 1998), Hong Kong singer
Fictional characters
[edit]- Elke Haien, the wife of the main character in the 1888 German novel The Rider on the White Horse by Theodor Storm
- Elka Ostrovsky, from the 2010–2015 American television show Hot in Cleveland
- Fräulein Elke, a travesti performer from the 1972 film Cabaret
References
[edit]- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 171. ISBN 9780198610601. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ^ "Names Files". 1990 Census. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
External links
[edit]- Elke at Beliebte Vornamen
- IGI Individual Record: Catheren Elke at the FamilySearch.org website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
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