Elif

Turkish, "first letter of the alphabet; slender"

I first fell in love with Elif for the aesthetics. It has all the charm of Ellie… but with a totally unexpected “f” on the end! Which makes it rare among girl names.

It’s meaning sealed the deal for me. Elif is the Turkish name for the first letter of the Arabic alphabet (‘alif in Arabic), with all the significance that brings – beginnings, taking precedence, and the graceful, slender shape of the letter, which is a simple stroke down.

Elif has long been one of the most popular girl names in Türkiye, and it is also well-used in the Turkish diaspora: it is a Top 500 name in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and the UK.