Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Alijah isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1987. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alijah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 15,681
- 14,231 boys · 1,450 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 792 babies
- 2025
- 665
- #469 for boys · #7,505 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +8%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 94% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 651 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 469 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 14.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 14 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (90). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,737 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Alijah’s family of names
Alijah may belong to the same name family as ALIJAHH. This is a tentative spelling connection.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Alijah
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Alijah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Eliam
“the God of my nation”
>99% boys
Agasthya
>99% boys
Elian
“a spirited man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Kashton
Kashton is a masculine given name.
99% boys · 1% girls
Callahan
Callahan is a masculine given name from Irish.
90% boys · 10% girls
Malakai
“a messenger of God”
>99% boys
Messiah
99% boys · 1% girls
Cairo
“from the city in Egypt” · “one who is victorious; from the capital of Egypt”
95% boys · 5% girls