boy's name
Elias
ih-LY-us
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 162,622
the United States
#13
2025 births
Elias is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "my God is Yahweh." It is the Greek and Latin form of Elijah, and is the spelling used across most of continental Europe as well as in older English translations of the New Testament.
- Elias is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 8,845 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 375 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Elias over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 450 |
| 1890s | 302 |
| 1900s | 254 |
| 1910s | 1,144 |
| 1920s | 1,766 |
| 1930s | 1,365 |
| 1940s | 1,227 |
| 1950s | 1,552 |
| 1960s | 1,774 |
| 1970s | 2,986 |
| 1980s | 4,497 |
| 1990s | 8,890 |
| 2000s | 19,660 |
| 2010s | 40,977 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 42,658 |
What Elias means
Elias means "my God is Yahweh," identical in meaning to Elijah since the two are the same name. It combines El, God, with Yah, a shortened form of the divine name, making it a statement of religious allegiance.
Where Elias comes from
Elias is the form the Hebrew Eliyahu took when the scriptures were translated into Greek as Elias, and then into Latin with the same spelling. Because most of Europe received the Bible through Greek and Latin rather than Hebrew, Elias became the standard form in German, Scandinavian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Greek usage, while English eventually adopted Elijah for the Old Testament prophet — which is why English Bibles use Elijah in Kings but older translations use Elias in the New Testament. Both refer to the same figure. Elias has been used in English-speaking countries since the medieval period and has grown considerably in recent decades.
Elias in use
Elias and Elijah are the same name, separated only by which language the text passed through.
How popular is Elias?
In 2025, Elias was given to 8,845 babies in the United States, ranking #13 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Elias is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Elias is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Élias | Élias is Elias written with an acute accent, used in France, where it ranks #540. | 985 |
| Elïas | Elïas is a rare spelling of Elias, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
Names that peaked alongside Elias
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Elias also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Elias over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Elias
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Elias in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Elias
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Elias — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Elias
What does the name Elias mean?
Elias means "my God is Yahweh," the same meaning as Elijah.
Is Elias the same as Elijah?
Yes. Elias is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Eliyahu, which English renders as Elijah.
Why do Bibles use both Elias and Elijah?
Older English translations used Elias in the New Testament, following the Greek, and Elijah in the Old Testament, following the Hebrew.
How popular is the name Elias?
In 2025, Elias was given to 8,845 babies in the United States, ranking #13 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Elias a girl's or a boy's name?
Elias is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Elias?
Elias has 3 syllables.
When was Elias most popular?
Elias peaked in 2025, when 8,845 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Elias?
Elias is usually shortened to Eli.
Is Elias a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Elias currently ranks #13 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.