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2025 data, released 8 May 2026

2025 data, released 8 May 2026

Elija

Elija was the 6217th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 14 babies. Its best year was 1889, when it ranked 1013th; the most babies were born in 2008 (56). Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,439 places. More babies were named Elija in the 2000s than in any other decade.

Meaning (as Elijah) 'my God is Yahweh' · Hebrew

Rank in 2025
#6,217 boys, down 2,041 places since 2020
Babies in 2025
14boys
Girls and boys
Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
Peak year
200856 babies
Total since 1880
1,169babies recorded

What does the name Elija mean?

Elija is a spelling of Elijah, pronounced the same way, so it shares Elijah's meaning and origin.

Elijah is the English form of the Hebrew Eliyahu, the name of an Israelite prophet. The name joins two names for God, so it means roughly 'my God is Yahweh'. In the Greek New Testament the same name appears as Elias, and Russian Ilya is a related form.

אֵלִיָּהוּ (Biblical Hebrew, “Eliyahu, 'my God is Yahweh'”)

How sure is this? Well established.

See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.

Sources for this meaning

Elija popularity since 1880

0255075100 1900192019401960198020002020
Boys Babies per year, US, from Social Security records. Years with fewer than 5 babies show as zero.
YearRank (boys)Babies (boys)
2025#6,21714
2020#4,17624
2010#2,83742
2000#3,23526
1990#6,6337
1980#4,2459
1970——
1960——
1950——
1940——
1930#4,1615
1920——
1910——
1900——
1890——
1880——

How popular is Elija, counting every spelling?

Elija is a spelling of Elijah, a name family that ranked #10 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #6,217 for Elija on its own. Together these spellings went to 11,185 boys in 2025.

SpellingBabies 2025Official rankBabies 2021–2025
Elijah11,111#758,811
Elyjah52#2,545287
Elija14#6,21795
Ellijah8#9,15061

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 Elija?

14 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Elija (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Elija 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 596 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Elija.

Chance of another Elija in a class of 20under 1 in 50US, born 2025

Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.

How old are people named Elija?

About 1,100 people born in the US named Elija are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 12 and 24. That makes Elija mostly worn by children and young adults.

0–910–1920–2930–3940–4950–5960–6970–7980–8990+
Estimated people alive in the US with the name, by age, mid-2026. The darker bar holds the median age.

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.

Elija by state

How common Elija was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.

Alaska: fewer than 5 a yearAK–Maine: fewer than 5 a yearME–Wisconsin: fewer than 5 a yearWI–Vermont: fewer than 5 a yearVT–New Hampshire: fewer than 5 a yearNH–Washington: fewer than 5 a yearWA–Idaho: fewer than 5 a yearID–Montana: fewer than 5 a yearMT–North Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearND–Minnesota: fewer than 5 a yearMN–Illinois: fewer than 5 a yearIL–Michigan: fewer than 5 a yearMI–New York: fewer than 5 a yearNY–Massachusetts: fewer than 5 a yearMA–Oregon: fewer than 5 a yearOR–Nevada: fewer than 5 a yearNV–Wyoming: fewer than 5 a yearWY–South Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearSD–Iowa: fewer than 5 a yearIA–Indiana: fewer than 5 a yearIN–Ohio: fewer than 5 a yearOH–Pennsylvania: fewer than 5 a yearPA–New Jersey: fewer than 5 a yearNJ–Connecticut: fewer than 5 a yearCT–Rhode Island: fewer than 5 a yearRI–California: 0.01 per 1,000 babiesCA0.01Utah: fewer than 5 a yearUT–Colorado: fewer than 5 a yearCO–Nebraska: fewer than 5 a yearNE–Missouri: fewer than 5 a yearMO–Kentucky: fewer than 5 a yearKY–West Virginia: fewer than 5 a yearWV–Virginia: fewer than 5 a yearVA–Maryland: fewer than 5 a yearMD–Delaware: fewer than 5 a yearDE–Arizona: fewer than 5 a yearAZ–New Mexico: fewer than 5 a yearNM–Kansas: fewer than 5 a yearKS–Arkansas: fewer than 5 a yearAR–Tennessee: fewer than 5 a yearTN–North Carolina: fewer than 5 a yearNC–South Carolina: fewer than 5 a yearSC–District of Columbia: fewer than 5 a yearDC–Oklahoma: fewer than 5 a yearOK–Louisiana: fewer than 5 a yearLA–Mississippi: fewer than 5 a yearMS–Alabama: fewer than 5 a yearAL–Georgia: fewer than 5 a yearGA–Hawaii: fewer than 5 a yearHI–Texas: fewer than 5 a yearTX–Florida: fewer than 5 a yearFL–
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex, Elija, boys, 2021–2025. Darker means more common.

Names with a similar history

These names rose and fell in step with Elija: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Elija, they share its era and feel.

Questions about the name Elija

What does Elija mean?

Elija is a spelling of Elijah, which means “'my God is Yahweh'” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.

How popular is the name Elija?

Elija was the 6217th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 14 babies. Its best year was 1889, when it ranked 1013th; the most babies were born in 2008 (56). Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,439 places. More babies were named Elija in the 2000s than in any other decade.

Is Elija a boy or girl name?

In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Elija in the US.

Where is Elija most popular?

In 2021–2025, Elija was most common in California (0.01 per 1,000 boys).