It’s not every day a social club from The Villages becomes the subject of international trivia, but that’s exactly what happened when the Elaine Club was featured on the UK game show The Chase.

“A 130,000-person retirement mega-community in Florida, ‘The Villages’ is so big it has a club just for whom?”

The answer? Women named Elaine.

The Elaine Club is real, and this year it’s celebrating ten years of friendship, laughter and name-based confusion. What started as a funny coincidence has become one of the community’s most beloved social clubs and monthly gatherings.

Elaine B., the club’s founder, said she had never met another Elaine until she moved to The Villages.

“Then suddenly, I was hearing it everywhere,” she says. “In the grocery store, on the street, at rec centers. I was answering to names that weren’t meant for me.”

One afternoon, during a billiards lesson, she realized she wasn’t alone. Two other women were also named Elaine. That moment sparked an idea. With help from the rec department, she put together a flyer and organized a gathering at the Truman Rec Center which got attention from the Villages Sun and WVLG radio.

“Twenty-three Elaines showed up,” she says. “Every time someone walked in, we said ‘Hiya, Elaine,’ and everyone cracked up. “It was one of the best nights I’ve had since I moved here.”

The group has grown to more than one-hundred members some staying up north during the summer and some have passed away. They are remembered each year.

The Elaines meet monthly to share meals, bring in engaging speakers, plan day trips and joyfully celebrate everything from birthdays to name milestones. For July, they had a stretching class at the Truman Recreation Center. 

Some members have been part of the group for years, others are brand new to the fun and quickly feel at home.

Elaine D. joined shortly after that first event.

“It’s the best club I’ve ever joined,” she says. “Everyone feels welcome, and no one takes themselves too seriously.”

There are no nicknames. Just Elaines, the occasional last name on a nametag and a whole lot of laughter. The group has marched in parades, hosted themed parties and inspired others to embrace what makes them unique. It’s a sisterhood, that only they understand and have since their parents signed their birth certificates. 

Elaine comes from the Greek Helenē, meaning “bright” or “shining light.” In The Villages, it shines a little brighter thanks to this joyful crew of women who never tire of hearing, “Hiya, Elaine!”