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Boy · Hebrew
Elijah
Say it: ih-LY-juh
Meaning
Hebrew Eliyahu, 'my God is YHWH'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Its Greek form Elias was used across medieval Europe; Elijah itself was a Puritan name and very popular in the 21st century.
Its wave through time
A revival, back after decades away
In the United States
- 322,278 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 2020, about 1 in 131 boys
- 13,064 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The Biblical WorldAbout 1200 BC to AD 100
- The Colonial Americas1500 to 1800
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
HebrewEarly ChristianEnglishAmericanFrenchSpanishItalianPortugueseGermanPolishRussianAfrican American
The family of the name
Other spellings: Elias
| French | Élie |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Elías |
| Italian | Elia |
| Portuguese | Elias |
| German | Elias |
| Polish | Eliasz |
| Russian | Ilya |
| Hebrew | Eliyahu |
Famous bearers
- Elijah, prophet of 1 and 2 Kings
- Elijah Muhammad, American religious leader
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
- Puritan church and town records of England and New England
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.