boy's name · in the US

Elija

ih-LY-juh (English)

  • Gender Boy (US)
  • Syllables 3
  • Letters 5
  • Popularity Rare
  • Births on record 1,473

Elija is a boy's name in the United States, with 3 syllables. It is given to both girls and boys — about 18% of recorded births with this name are girls. In 2025 it was given to 14 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.

  • Peaked in 2008, when 56 babies were given the name.
  • It has been falling over the past decade.
  • Today about 1 in 236,855 babies in the United States is given this name.
  • First appears in US birth records in 1889.
  • 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.

Elija Over Time

Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.

414
'80 '90 '00 '10 '20 '30 '40 '50 '60 '70 '80 '90 '00 '10 '20
Show the numbers
Births named Elija by decade in the United States
Decade Births
1880s 5
1890s 0
1900s 0
1910s 42
1920s 34
1930s 10
1940s 0
1950s 0
1960s 0
1970s 7
1980s 68
1990s 142
2000s 414
2010s 328
2020s (to 2025) 119

How Popular Is Elija?

In 2025, Elija was given to 14 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.

Where Elija Is Used

Northern Ireland #518 3 in 2015
Ireland #1,081 3 in 2025
United States #6,377 14 in 2025
France #6,950 5 in 2022
England & Wales #7,422 3 in 2025

The bar shows how near the top of each country's list the name sits, on a scale where #1 fills the row and #1,000 is a sliver. The figures beside it are the real rank and the babies recorded that year.

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.

Names That Peaked Alongside Elija

These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.

Parents Who Like Elija Also Like

Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Elija over the last century — the same taste, a different name.

Boys' or Girls' Name?

Elija is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.

  • United States Boys' 0% girls · 223 babies
  • England & Wales Girls' 92% girls · 131 babies

How to Say Elija

  • English ih-LY-juh

Sibling Names for Elija

Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Elija — the two things that make a sibling set grate.

Common Questions About Elija

How popular is the name Elija?

In 2025, Elija was given to 14 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.

Is Elija a girl's or a boy's name?

Elija is used for both girls and boys. About 18% of recorded births with this name are girls.

How many syllables are in Elija?

Elija has 3 syllables.

When was Elija most popular?

Elija peaked in 2008, when 56 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.

Is Elija a good name?

That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Elija currently ranks #1,081 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.