Elkanah as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Elkanah

What is the meaning of the name Elkanah ?

The baby name Elkanah is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced IPA: /ˌɛlˈkeɪnə/ or /ɛlˈkɑːnə/; respelling: el-KAY-nə or el-KAH-nə.

Elkanah is Hebrew in Origin.

Elkanah is a biblical Hebrew name (Elqanah, אלקנה) composed of El “God” + qanah “to acquire, create, possess,” yielding meanings such as “God has acquired,” “God has created,” or “God has taken possession.” It appears multiple times in the Hebrew Bible, most famously as the name of Hannah’s husband and the father of the prophet Samuel, and also among Levitical lineages.

The name entered English via the King James Bible, enjoyed modest use among Puritans and early Americans - borne by figures like Elkanah Settle and Elkanah Watson - and persists sporadically in Jewish and Christian communities. Modern Hebrew favors Elkana; scholarly transliteration is Elqana; biblical/Romance-language forms include Elcana (Latin/Portuguese) and Elcaná (Spanish). While traditionally masculine, its rarity today gives it a distinctive, antique-biblical aura, with the accessible short form El.