Elijah
Hebrew Eliyahu, “my God is Yahweh.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
The fiery Old Testament prophet, a leading name of the 2000s biblical revival.
Elijah appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1995 to 2025. It spent 10 years inside the top 10. Its biggest year was 2011, when 14,001 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 13 nationally. Its best ranking came in 2020, at No. 4. In 2025 it ranked No. 7 for boys. All told, 381,915 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Elyjah (1,961), Elija (1,169), Ellijah (581) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Eli, Elias, Ellie, Eloise
Explore Elijah interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 856 | No. 126 |
| 1890s | 704 | No. 184 |
| 1900s | 725 | No. 183 |
| 1910s | 1,963 | No. 233 |
| 1920s | 2,755 | No. 327 |
| 1930s | 2,135 | No. 365 |
| 1940s | 2,399 | No. 374 |
| 1950s | 2,314 | No. 403 |
| 1960s | 1,524 | No. 562 |
| 1970s | 3,400 | No. 290 |
| 1980s | 7,567 | No. 257 |
| 1990s | 34,652 | No. 60 |
| 2000s | 110,421 | No. 21 |
| 2010s | 137,147 | No. 5 |
| 2020s | 72,049 | No. 4 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.