Given name
Elihu
“My God is He”
Elihu is used as a given name. One Hebrew interpretation is “My God is He.”
Original Hebrewאליהו
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “My God is He.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From the Hebrew word 'el (אל), “God,” and the Hebrew name yahu (יהו), “or the third person independent personal pronoun: he.”
From biblical name research
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.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Elihu appears in 1 Samuel 1:1, 1 Chronicles 6:34.
- 1 Samuel 1:1
- 1 Chronicles 6:34
From biblical name research
Elihu through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,236
- 1,236 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1928
- 26 babies
- 2025
- 14
- #6,216 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 14 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,216 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 16.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 26 in 1928. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 678 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.
Elihu’s family of names
Elihu has a related form in Elihue. Elihu has a related form in Elihugh. In German usage, Elihu has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Eliú.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Elihu has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
8 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Elihu
- Elihu RootAmerican politician (1845-1937)
- Elihu ThomsonAmerican inventor (1853–1937)
- Elihu B. WashburneAmerican politician and diplomat (1816–1887)
- Elihu YaleWelsh merchant, slave trader and philanthropist (1649–1721)
- Elihu KatzAmerican and Israeli sociologist (1926–2021)
- Elihu VedderAmerican artist (1836–1923)
- Elihu Emory JacksonAmerican politician (1837-1907)
- Elihu BurrittAmerican pacifist, philanthropist, pamphlet writer (1810-1879)
- Elihu DotyAmerican missionary1809–1864
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Elihu, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
El
“much debated but ultimately unclear”
87% boys · 13% girls
Enos
“mankind” · “a man”
>99% boys
Arliss
“from the high fortress” · “of the pledge”
>99% boys
Oran
“surrounded by light” · “a pale-skinned man”
>99% boys
Hershel
“resembling a deer”
>99% boys
Cephas
“as solid as a rock”
>99% boys
Hosea
“one who reaches salvation”
>99% boys
Lemuel
“devoted to God” · “one who belongs to God”
>99% boys