Alijah
Alijah was the 469th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 651 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 408th with 762 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 13 places. More babies were named Alijah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin not documented
Say it uh-LY-juh /əˈlaɪdʒə/
- Rank in 2025
- #469 boys, down 22 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 651boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2021762 babies
- Total since 1880
- 15,681babies recorded
What does the name Alijah mean?
Alijah is a modern American boy's name, recorded since the late 1980s. Wiktionary lists it without an etymology. It is most likely a respelling of Elijah, the Hebrew prophet whose name means "my God is Yahweh" (1 Kings 17:1), perhaps influenced by Ali, but that is not documented. No separate meaning is given here.
How sure is this? Not documented. Probably a respelling of Elijah; not documented.
Related names: Elijah, Alijah, Ali.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Alijah', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Elijah', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, I Kings 17.1, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
Alijah popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,450 since 1991, 14 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #469 | 651 |
| 2020 | #447 | 669 |
| 2010 | #470 | 553 |
| 2000 | #1,027 | 142 |
| 1990 | #5,842 | 8 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Alijah, counting every spelling?
Alijah is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #461 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #469 for Alijah on its own. Together these spellings went to 673 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alijah | 651 | #469 | 3,507 |
| Aalijah | 9 | #8,247 | 58 |
| Alyjah | 8 | #8,952 | 57 |
| Alija | 5 | #12,098 | 32 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Alijah?
651 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Alijah (0.18 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Alijah born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 13 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Alijah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Alijah?
About 14,100 people born in the US named Alijah are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 6 and 18. That makes Alijah a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Alijah by state
How common Alijah was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (3.6×), Mississippi (2.6×), Louisiana (2.2×), Nevada (2.1×), Alabama (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Kansas, Oregon, Minnesota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Alijah: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Alijah, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Alijah · Sibling names for Alijah
Questions about the name Alijah
How popular is the name Alijah?
Alijah was the 469th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 651 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 408th with 762 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 13 places. More babies were named Alijah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Alijah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Alijah in the US.
Where is Alijah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Alijah was most common in New Mexico (1.46 per 1,000 boys), followed by Mississippi and Louisiana.