Elijah
How to say it: ih-LY-juh · /ɪˈlaɪdʒə/
From Hebrew 'Eliyahu', meaning 'my God is Yahweh' or 'the Lord is my God'. A major prophet in the Hebrew Bible.
Elijah was the 9th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 11,111 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 2010s, its births are down about 18% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #13 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #9 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 11,111 |
| Share of births | 1 in 280 |
| Peak decade | 2010s |
| Change over 10 years | −18% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #13 |
| In France, 2025 | #185 among boys’ names, 290 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Rising to its best in the 2010s, Elijah is still well used and close to that high. Further softening looks likely over the next few years.
What goes with it
Flowing and strong with soft sounds and a biblical feel, spoken ih LY juh. Eli makes a natural short form and Isaiah shares its rhythm.
Middle names that flow with Elijah →
Nicknames
- Eli
- Lijah
Honouring a Elijah in the family
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Elijah is about 1 in 12.
Around the world
This spelling is used in English, French, Hebrew, Welsh.
In France: #185 for boys in 2025.
England and Wales: #23. Ireland: #98.
Famous people named Elijah
- Elijah Wood (born 1981)American actor
- Elijah Just (born 2000)New Zealand association football player
- Elijah Winnington (born 2000)Australian swimmer
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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