Meaning & origin
What it means
As a biblical name, Elah means “terebinth.”
From biblical name research
Where it comes from
Elah is a biblical name from Hebrew.
From biblical name research
How it developed
From the Hebrew verb 'alal (אלל), “to protrude.”
From biblical name research
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1905. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Elah appears in Genesis 36:41.
From biblical name research
Elah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 390
- 0 boys · 390 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 33 babies
- 2025
- 33
- #4,286 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +16%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 33 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,286 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 15.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 326 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.
Elah’s family of names
Elah may belong to the same name family as ELAHH. This is a tentative spelling connection.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 11
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Joelshares a root
- Elonshares a root
- Elimshares a root
- Aijalonshares a root
- Allonshares a root
- Ulamshares a root
- Ulaishares a root
- Meonenimshares a root
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Similar names
If you love Elah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Iza
Iza is a feminine given name from Polish, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew. It is used in Polish, Hungarian, and Slovak.
3% boys · 97% girls
Adalia
>99% girls
Anah
“answer” · “task”
>99% girls
Delilah
“she who weakened”
>99% girls
Leah
“languid”
>99% girls
Keturah
“incense”
>99% girls
Michaela
“who is like God?” · “brook”
>99% girls
Telah
“fracture”
>99% girls