boy's name
Elijah
ih-LY-juh
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 425,627
the United States
#7
2025 births
Elijah is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "my God is Yahweh," from Eliyahu. It belongs to the prophet in the Books of Kings who challenges the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, a contest in which the name itself functions as the argument being made.
- Elijah is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2011, when 14,034 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 298 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Elijah 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 | 856 |
| 1890s | 704 |
| 1900s | 725 |
| 1910s | 1,963 |
| 1920s | 2,767 |
| 1930s | 2,141 |
| 1940s | 2,404 |
| 1950s | 2,319 |
| 1960s | 1,524 |
| 1970s | 3,427 |
| 1980s | 7,652 |
| 1990s | 34,924 |
| 2000s | 110,848 |
| 2010s | 137,460 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 72,201 |
What Elijah means
Elijah means "my God is Yahweh," combining El, meaning God, with Yah, a shortened form of the divine name. It is a declaration of allegiance rather than a description, which is unusually pointed given the prophet's role in opposing rival worship.
Where Elijah comes from
Elijah comes from the Hebrew Eliyahu, formed from El, God, and Yah, an abbreviated form of Yahweh — so the name asserts that Yahweh is the bearer's god. This is directly relevant to the biblical narrative: the prophet Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in a contest over which deity is real, making his name a statement of the very claim at issue. The Greek and Latin scriptures rendered it Elias, which is why both forms circulate in European languages. Elijah entered common English use after the Reformation with the wider adoption of Old Testament names.
Elijah in use
Elijah is one of the clearest cases of a biblical name that states the argument its bearer is remembered for making.
How popular is Elijah?
In 2025, Elijah was given to 11,126 babies in the United States, ranking #7 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Elijah 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 Elijah is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Élijah | Élijah is a rare spelling of Elijah, written with an acute accent and recorded about 110 times, mostly in France. | 110 |
| Elïjah | Elïjah is a rare spelling of Elijah, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 40 times, mostly in France. | 40 |
Names that peaked alongside Elijah
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Elijah also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Elijah over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Elijah
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.
Elijah 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 Elijah
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Elijah — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Elijah
What does the name Elijah mean?
Elijah means "my God is Yahweh," from the Hebrew Eliyahu.
Is Elias the same name as Elijah?
Yes. Elias is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Eliyahu.
Is Eli short for Elijah?
Eli is commonly used as a short form of Elijah, though Eli is also a separate biblical name in its own right.
How popular is the name Elijah?
In 2025, Elijah was given to 11,126 babies in the United States, ranking #7 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Elijah a girl's or a boy's name?
Elijah is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Elijah?
Elijah has 3 syllables.
When was Elijah most popular?
Elijah peaked in 2011, when 14,034 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Elijah?
Elijah is usually shortened to Eli.
Is Elijah a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Elijah currently ranks #7 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.