Elia
Elia was the 970th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 263 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 841st with 321 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 264 places. More babies were named Elia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Aliyah) Origin uncertain · Arabic, Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #970 girls, up 131 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 263girls
- Girls and boys
- 90% girls, 10% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024321 babies
- Total since 1880
- 10,159babies recorded
What does the name Elia mean?
Elia is a spelling of Aliyah, pronounced the same way, so it shares Aliyah's meaning and origin.
Aliyah has two sources that share a spelling. Wiktionary records an Arabic girl's name, a modern American variant of Aaliyah, from Arabic aaliya, 'high, exalted', and a separate Hebrew name from aliyah, 'ascent, going up'. Wikipedia explains that the Hebrew word is also used for being called up to read the Torah and for Jewish immigration to Israel. Both meanings point to rising, but they come from different languages.
عَالِيَة (Arabic, “ʿāliya, high, exalted”)עֲלִיָּה (Hebrew, “aliyah, ascent”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Arabic 'high, exalted' and Hebrew 'ascent' are separate but similar sources.
Related names: Aaliyah, Aliya, Aleah, Alia.
See also: Arabic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Aliyah', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Aliyah (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Elia popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #970 | #3,008 | 263 | 41 |
| 2020 | #1,101 | #3,749 | 222 | 28 |
| 2010 | #1,522 | #6,796 | 147 | 12 |
| 2000 | #2,179 | #5,375 | 73 | 13 |
| 1990 | #1,607 | #3,656 | 93 | 16 |
| 1980 | #1,919 | #3,147 | 56 | 14 |
| 1970 | #1,885 | #3,611 | 46 | 8 |
| 1960 | #1,567 | #4,196 | 51 | 5 |
| 1950 | #1,166 | — | 63 | — |
| 1940 | #1,380 | — | 30 | — |
| 1930 | #1,181 | #3,103 | 40 | 8 |
| 1920 | #1,319 | #2,826 | 35 | 10 |
| 1910 | #1,231 | — | 14 | — |
| 1900 | #1,253 | — | 10 | — |
| 1890 | #1,252 | — | 6 | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Elia, counting every spelling?
Elia is a spelling of Aliyah, a name family that ranked #235 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #970 for Elia on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,451 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aliyah | 1,188 | #263 | 6,603 |
| Elia | 263 | #970 | 1,493 |
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 Elia?
263 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Elia (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Elia 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 32 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Elia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Elia?
About 7,700 people born in the US named Elia are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 7 and 42. That makes Elia mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Elia by state
How common Elia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (2.0×), Washington (1.8×), Arizona (1.7×), Colorado (1.6×), Texas (1.6×). In 25 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Elia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Elia, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Elia
What does Elia mean?
The origin of Aliyah is uncertain: Arabic 'high, exalted' and Hebrew 'ascent' are separate but similar sources.
How popular is the name Elia?
Elia was the 970th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 263 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 841st with 321 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 264 places. More babies were named Elia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Elia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 90% girls, 10% boys given the name Elia in the US.
Where is Elia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Elia was most common in California (0.37 per 1,000 girls), followed by Washington and Arizona.