Elijah Boy

Popularity: #7 · Trend: ↘ Falling

Name Meaning & Origin Pronunciation: ih-LIE-jah /ɪˈlaɪdʒə/

Origin: Hebrew; English

Meaning: Hebrew: My God is Yahweh

Historical & Cultural Background

The name Elijah originates from the Hebrew name אֵלִיָּהוּ (Eliyahu), which translates to "My God is Yahweh." The name is composed of two elements: "El," meaning God, and "Yah," a shortened form of Yahweh, the personal name of the God of Israel. The transition of the name into English occurred through the Greek form Ἠλίας (Elias) and the Latin form Elias, which were used in early Christian texts.

The name was adopted into Old French as Élie before finally entering Middle English as Elijah, particularly through the influence of the Bible and religious texts during the Middle Ages. Elijah is a significant biblical figure, known as a prophet in the Hebrew Bible, particularly in the books of Kings, where he appears prominently in the 9th century BCE.

He is celebrated for his role in defending the worship of Yahweh against the Canaanite deity Baal and is associated with miracles and prophetic acts. The name gained further prominence through the Christian tradition, where Elijah is recognized as a precursor to John the Baptist and is mentioned in the New Testament.

The translation of the Bible into various languages, including the King James Version in the early 17th century, helped solidify the name's presence in Christian contexts. Culturally, Elijah has been a symbol of faith and divine intervention, often associated with themes of hope and redemption.

In Jewish tradition, Elijah is expected to return as a forerunner of the Messiah, making his name resonate deeply within religious practices and beliefs. The name has also inspired various diminutive forms, such as Eli, which have been used in different cultures.

Overall, the enduring legacy of Elijah reflects its deep roots in religious history and its continued significance in various cultural narratives.

Famous people named Elijah

In this section, you will find notable people named Elijah. We include individuals across a wide range of fields, including actors known for their work in film, television, and stage productions. You'll also find musicians, directors, and other public figures named Elijah who have made a significant impact on popular culture.

We also feature individuals named Elijah who have made meaningful contributions to science, politics, athletics, literature, and other areas of public interest.

Please note that not every baby name in our database currently has a famous namesake listed. If you would like to suggest a name we may have missed or submit a correction, feel free to contact us. We review and finalize additions and corrections within 24 hours.

Elijah Wood is an actor best known for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Wilfred.

Elijah Kelley is an actor and singer best known for Hairspray, The Butler, and The Wiz Live!

Elijah Jordan Wood is a voice actor best known for his role as Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings video games.

Fictional characters named Elijah

The following list of fictional characters named Elijah is a work in progress. If you would like to suggest an additional character, please send us the character's name along with a brief, one-sentence description of what they are best known for.

You may also submit corrections, which we will review and update as quickly as possible.

Elijah Mikaelson is a fictional character from the TV series The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off The Originals. He is a member of the Original vampire family and often serves as a protector of his loved ones, showcasing a complex moral code.

Sibling suggestions

If you're looking for sibling name ideas that pair well with Elijah, the following options are frequently chosen as complementary choices by parents.

IsaiahGabrielMicahSamuelNathanielJosiah

Similar names

Based on our extensive baby names database, several names share stylistic or phonetic similarities with Elijah. These names can serve as alternatives to the sibling suggestions listed above and may help you find the perfect complementary name for your growing family.

EliasElianEliezerElonEliIsaiahUriahZachariah

U.S. Historical Usage

The name Elijah was first seen in the United States in 1880.

Elijah has ranked as high as #19 nationally, which occurred in 2011, and has been most popular in California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Georgia.

In the past 5 years the name Elijah has been trending down compared to the previous 5 years.

Popularity Over Time (National)

The name Elijah is part of our comprehensive baby names database, which includes Social Security Administration (SSA) data dating back to 1880—the first official year of state and national tracking. The chart below shows when Elijah was first recorded in the United States and illustrates how its popularity has risen and fallen over time.

Popularity Over Time (National) — Table

We track the national popularity of each baby name annually. The table below displays each year along with the number of births reported by the Social Security Administration. This data combines all state-level reporting from the SSA's baby names database to provide a comprehensive view of overall birth counts for Elijah.

Year Total Births Boy Girl
2025 11,126 11,111 15
2024 11,264 11,238 26
2023 11,543 11,523 20
2022 12,126 12,094 32
2021 12,873 12,845 28
2020 13,269 13,238 31
2019 13,457 13,436 21
2018 13,053 13,020 33
2017 13,477 13,449 28
2016 14,009 13,982 27
2015 13,738 13,710 28
2014 13,920 13,886 34
2013 13,862 13,829 33
2012 13,942 13,914 28
2011 14,034 14,001 33
2010 13,968 13,920 48
2009 12,883 12,846 37
2008 13,285 13,241 44
2007 12,464 12,424 40
2006 12,093 12,055 38
2005 11,651 11,612 39
2004 11,791 11,714 77
2003 10,711 10,665 46
2002 10,092 10,053 39
2001 8,381 8,339 42
2000 7,497 7,472 25
1999 6,632 6,596 36
1998 5,712 5,662 50
1997 5,121 5,089 32
1996 4,854 4,818 36
1995 4,012 3,977 35
1994 2,643 2,621 22
1993 1,895 1,882 13
1992 1,544 1,523 21
1991 1,361 1,345 16
1990 1,150 1,139 11
1989 1,004 991 13
1988 894 886 8
1987 755 746 9
1986 729 718 11
1985 689 681 8
1984 636 631 5
1983 681 671 10
1982 748 739 9
1981 757 750 7
1980 759 754 5
1979 702 696 6
1978 555 548 7
1977 509 504 5
1976 310 301 9
1975 263 263 0
1974 287 287 0
1973 212 212 0
1972 209 209 0
1971 196 196 0
1970 184 184 0
1969 143 143 0
1968 122 122 0
1967 134 134 0
1966 140 140 0
1965 122 122 0
1964 161 161 0
1963 149 149 0
1962 179 179 0
1961 194 194 0
1960 180 180 0
1959 185 185 0
1958 209 209 0
1957 218 218 0
1956 197 197 0
1955 235 235 0
1954 259 254 5
1953 248 248 0
1952 263 263 0
1951 223 223 0
1950 282 282 0
1949 267 267 0
1948 249 244 5
1947 296 296 0
1946 222 222 0
1945 237 237 0
1944 227 227 0
1943 221 221 0
1942 245 245 0
1941 239 239 0
1940 201 201 0
1939 237 237 0
1938 195 195 0
1937 216 210 6
1936 221 221 0
1935 210 210 0
1934 209 209 0
1933 198 198 0
1932 231 231 0
1931 198 198 0
1930 226 226 0
1929 248 243 5
1928 255 255 0
1927 290 290 0
1926 283 276 7
1925 283 283 0
1924 261 261 0
1923 302 302 0
1922 311 311 0
1921 257 257 0
1920 277 277 0
1919 295 295 0
1918 264 264 0
1917 256 256 0
1916 232 232 0
1915 243 243 0
1914 187 187 0
1913 149 149 0
1912 142 142 0
1911 94 94 0
1910 101 101 0
1909 90 90 0
1908 64 64 0
1907 76 76 0
1906 65 65 0
1905 81 81 0
1904 60 60 0
1903 58 58 0
1902 66 66 0
1901 79 79 0
1900 86 86 0
1899 64 64 0
1898 76 76 0
1897 65 65 0
1896 87 87 0
1895 75 75 0
1894 54 54 0
1893 77 77 0
1892 85 85 0
1891 57 57 0
1890 64 64 0
1889 61 61 0
1888 88 88 0
1887 75 75 0
1886 93 93 0
1885 82 82 0
1884 85 85 0
1883 92 92 0
1882 111 111 0
1881 69 69 0
1880 100 100 0

Top States for Elijah (2024)

We track the most popular states for each baby name every year and highlight the locations where the name appears most frequently. The table below shows the five states with the highest number of births for this name in the selected year. Use the toggle to expand the list to every state with reported births.

State Births Share
TX 1,434
13%
CA 1,257
11%
FL 841
8%
GA 412
4%
NC 411
4%
NY 402
4%
OH 377
3%
PA 331
3%
TN 322
3%
MI 311
3%
VA 308
3%
IL 280
3%
IN 265
2%
AZ 259
2%
WA 244
2%
AL 216
2%
NJ 216
2%
LA 214
2%
MO 211
2%
KY 203
2%
SC 184
2%
OK 183
2%
CO 164
1%
MA 161
1%
MD 159
1%
WI 141
1%
MN 139
1%
OR 137
1%
IA 131
1%
AR 125
1%
UT 114
1%
NV 109
1%
MS 101
1%
KS 100
1%
CT 88
1%
WV 77
1%
NM 75
1%
ID 72
1%
NE 68
1%
HI 40
0%
NH 36
0%
DE 36
0%
MT 32
0%
ND 32
0%
SD 32
0%
AK 28
0%
RI 27
0%
DC 22
0%
ME 21
0%
WY 14
0%
VT 9
0%