Else is a unique and distinctive female given name of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word 'elsen', meaning 'noble' or 'of noble rank'. It has been used in Germany, Scandinavia, and other parts of Europe for centuries, often appearing as a short form of names like Adelheid or Elisabeth. The name Else is also found in literature and historical records, further contributing to its rich cultural heritage.
The name Else appears to have had periods of popularity and decline in terms of the number of births recorded annually. Between 1884 and 1937, there were several years with notable numbers of births, including peaks of 14 births in 1932 and 14 births in 1935. However, from 1940 onwards, the number of births per year significantly decreased, with most years recording between 5 to 10 births. The name experienced a brief resurgence in popularity around the late 1990s to early 2000s, but has since returned to lower levels, with the most recent years (2017-2020) seeing only 5 births each year. In total, there were 514 births recorded for the name Else over the period spanning from 1884 to 2020.