Elle is the French word for "she," a name that is essentially pure femininity distilled into a single syllable. It's minimal, modern, and carries a certain effortless chic that has made it attractive for both human naming and, by extension, pet naming. Female pets named Elle in registry data tend to skew toward smaller breeds and urban households.
The Fashion-Magazine Register
Elle magazine's century-long association with fashion and style makes the name carry a specifically sophisticated connotation: not royal or literary, but contemporary and urban. Owners who choose Elle for their pets are often operating in the same naming aesthetic as parents who give children short, elegant French-origin names. French Bulldogs and Maltese, breeds with strong aesthetic followings among style-conscious urban owners, show up frequently in this name's registry data.
Human Parallel
Elle as a given name appears in human baby naming with a similar profile: short, chic, unmistakably feminine. The human Elle page places it in the same category as Eva, Isla, and Ava: names with European roots that read as modern rather than vintage.
Counter-Read
Elle's minimalism can occasionally feel insubstantial, like a placeholder rather than a full name. If you want the same one-syllable elegance with slightly more phonetic interest, Cleo or Faye offer comparison from the same register.