Elijah
Elijah was the 7th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 11,111 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 4th; the most babies were born in 2011 (14,001). Over the last ten years it has moved up 4 places. More babies were named Elijah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning 'my God is Yahweh' · Hebrew
Say it ih-LY-juh /ɪˈlaɪdʒə/
- Rank in 2025
- #7 boys, down 3 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 11,111boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 201114,001 babies
- Total since 1880
- 381,915babies recorded
What does the name Elijah mean?
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
Nicknames for Elijah
The usual nicknames for Elijah are Eli. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Elijah in the last five years, 36 were named Eli, against 21 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eli · also for Eliezer, Elias, Elliot | Traditional | #104 | 20,888 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Elijahs go by each one.
Elijah popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,304 since 1926, 15 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7 | 11,111 |
| 2020 | #4 | 13,238 |
| 2010 | #18 | 13,920 |
| 2000 | #52 | 7,472 |
| 1990 | #243 | 1,139 |
| 1980 | #279 | 754 |
| 1970 | #597 | 184 |
| 1960 | #580 | 180 |
| 1950 | #403 | 282 |
| 1940 | #405 | 201 |
| 1930 | #378 | 226 |
| 1920 | #356 | 277 |
| 1910 | #234 | 101 |
| 1900 | #211 | 86 |
| 1890 | #204 | 64 |
| 1880 | #135 | 100 |
How popular is Elijah, counting every spelling?
Elijah is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #10 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #7 for Elijah on its own. Together these spellings went to 11,185 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah | 11,111 | #7 | 58,811 |
| Elyjah | 52 | #2,545 | 287 |
| Elija | 14 | #6,217 | 95 |
| Ellijah | 8 | #9,150 | 61 |
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 Elijah?
11,111 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Elijah (3.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Elijah born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 18. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, a typical elementary school of 430 pupils would have about 1.3 children named Elijah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Elijah?
About 364,100 people born in the US named Elijah are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 8 and 22. That makes Elijah mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Elijah by state
How common Elijah was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alaska (1.9×), Hawaii (1.9×), New Mexico (1.9×), Wyoming (1.8×), Mississippi (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, New York, Utah.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Elijah: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Elijah, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Elijah · Sibling names for Elijah
Questions about the name Elijah
What does Elijah mean?
Elijah means “'my God is Yahweh'” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Elijah?
Elijah was the 7th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 11,111 babies. Its best year was 2020, when it ranked 4th; the most babies were born in 2011 (14,001). Over the last ten years it has moved up 4 places. More babies were named Elijah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Elijah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Elijah in the US.
Where is Elijah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Elijah was most common in Alaska (13.10 per 1,000 boys), followed by Hawaii and New Mexico.