Elvira is from the Old Germanic *Gailwira* — *gail* ("happy, joyful") + *wer* ("truth") — popularized in Spain through the Visigothic queens; later embraced by Spanish opera tradition. **A top-300 US baby name in the early 20th century**. **Elvira, Mistress of the Dark** — character played by Cassandra Peterson since 1981; horror-host icon of late-night American television; her cleavage, beehive wig, and Valley-girl quips made her one of the most-recognizable Halloween figures in US pop culture; *Elvira: Mistress of the Dark* (1988) film and decades of TV horror-hosting; Peterson came out as gay in her 2021 memoir *Yours Cruelly, Elvira*, becoming one of the most-followed LGBTQ+ coming-out stories of that year. **Donna Elvira** — the noblewoman of Mozart's *Don Giovanni* (1787) — one of the soprano canon's most-demanding mezzo roles; performed by Renée Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Patricia Petibon, and Diana Damrau across major opera houses. **Doña Elvira** in Verdi's *Ernani* (1844) — another star soprano role. **The Oak Ridge Boys' "Elvira"** (1981) — Grammy-winning country crossover; #1 on the *Billboard* Country chart for one week. **Elvira Madigan (1867-1889)** — Danish circus performer; her tragic love story inspired the 1967 Swedish film *Elvira Madigan* and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 became forever linked to it.
Featured throughout opera, horror, and country music.
Elvira reduces to four — the number of Mistress of the Dark.