Given name & surname
Elias
“Jehovah is my God”·“yahweh is God”·“jehovah is my God”
Elias is a form of Elijah. Interpretations include “yahweh is God” and “jehovah is my God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewאליהו
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Hebrew use, Elias carries the interpretation “Jehovah is my God.” Elias is a form of Elijah. Interpretations include “yahweh is God” and “jehovah is my God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
Elias is used as a form of Elijah.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Elias is a form of Elijah. The history of Elijah gives this family its wider story. Elijah appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Elias through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 129,502
- 129,263 boys · 239 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 8,845 babies
- 2025
- 8,845
- #13 for boys · #11,211 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +38%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8,837 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 13 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 38.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 8 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (1,342). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 88,033 as a first name in 2020; 25,310 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Elias’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Elias has a short form in EELI. In Portuguese usage, Elias developed from the Hebrew form אליה. Elias is a form of Elijah.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Elias has relatives in 33 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 53
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- אליהוHebrew
- אליהroot · Hebrew
- Elijahbase name · English
- Ellisrelated form · Swedish, Norwegian
- Ilyarelated form
- Iliasequivalent
- ElianoItalian
- Elieequivalent
Show 45 moreShow fewer
- Ilijaequivalent
- EliaszPolish
- Ilierelated form · Romanian
- Illiaequivalent
- Elejasequivalent
- ઈલ્યાસequivalent
- इलियासequivalent
- إيلياequivalent
- Ноурызequivalent
- Алиасequivalent
- Ілиясequivalent
- Laïesseequivalent
- إلياسequivalent
- Ηλίαςequivalent
- Iljazequivalent
- Iiliäequivalent
- Élyieequivalent
- Ëlliequivalent
- Eliassen“son of” surname · Danish
- ÉlieFrench
- ElíasSpanish, Galician
- Ілляequivalent
- İlyasTurkish
- Илия́Russian
- الیاسPersian
- HeljaLithuanian
- ElijasLithuanian, Finnish
- HelijaLatvian
- ElíaIcelandic
- HeliasDutch
- ἩλίᾱςGreek
- ილიაGeorgian
- HélieFrench
- EliášCzech
- HèliesCatalan
- EliesCatalan
- إِيلِيَّاArabic
- Ἠλίαςroot · Ancient Greek
- IllésHungarian
- ÉliásHungarian
- ИлијаSerbian, Macedonian
- ИльяRussian
- EljaFinnish
- EelesFinnish
- ИлияBulgarian
People named Elias
- Elias CanettiBulgarian-born Swiss and British Jewish modernist novelist, playwright, memoirist, and non-fiction writer (1905–1994)
- Nizami GanjaviPersian poet1141–1202
- Elia KazanAmerican director and actor (1909–2003)
- Elias LönnrotFinnish physician, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry (1802–1884)
- Elias James CoreyAmerican chemistborn 1928
- Elias Magnus FriesSwedish biologist considered to be one of the founding fathers of the modern taxonomy of mushrooms (1794–1878)
- Elias HoweAmerican inventor (1819–1867)
- Elias Hrawi10th President of Lebanon (1926-2006)
- Elias KoteasCanadian actorborn 1961
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Elias, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ezra
“help” · “one who is helpful”
95% boys · 5% girls
Ozias
“power of Yah” · “Yah is strong”
>99% boys
Ezekiel
“God strengthens” · “strengthened by God”
>99% boys
Ananias
“Yah has been gracious” · “graciously given of Yah”
>99% boys
Eleazar
“God will help”
>99% boys
Tobias
“The Lord is good”
>99% boys
Axel
“source of life; small oak” · “axe”
>99% boys
Micah
“who is like (Yahweh)?”
93% boys · 7% girls