Given name & surname
Elijah
“yahweh is God”·“jehovah is my God”
Elijah is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “yahweh is God” and “jehovah is my God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewאליהו
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “yahweh is God” and “jehovah is my God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
In English usage, Elijah developed from אליהו.
The story
The name appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Elijah appears in 2 Kings 1:3-12, Malachi 4:5, 1 Kings 18:19 and 4 other passages. It is mentioned 30 times in the New Testament.
- 2 Kings 1:3-12
- Malachi 4:5
- 1 Kings 18:19
- 1 Kings 18:40
- 2 Kings 1:10-12
- 1 Kings 17:17-24
- Genesis 5:24
From biblical name research
Elijah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 381,915
- 380,611 boys · 1,304 girls
- Most popular year
- 2011
- 14,034 babies
- 2025
- 11,126
- #7 for boys · #7,226 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −12%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 11,111 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 12.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 14,001 in 2011. It also appeared in 15 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (1,455). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 252,751 as a first name in 2020; 1,110 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.
Elijah’s family of names
In English usage, Elijah has a diminutive in LIJE. In English usage, Elijah shares an earlier linguistic root with Ilya. In English usage, Elijah has a conventional equivalent in the Norwegian form Elias.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Elijah has relatives in 30 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
Hebrewwhere Elijah comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 46
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- אליהוroot · Hebrew
- Eliasrelated form · Portuguese, German
- Elliottrelated form
- EliaItalian
- Ilyadoublet · English
- Iliasrelated form
- Iliyadoublet
- Ilinaequivalent
Show 38 moreShow fewer
- Ilijaequivalent
- Eliahuequivalent
- Ellycefeminine form
- EliaszPolish
- IlieRomanian
- इलियासequivalent
- Илиꙗequivalent
- एलियाहूequivalent
- एलिअसequivalent
- Ілляequivalent
- Илияequivalent
- एलीयाequivalent
- אליהequivalent
- Ильяequivalent
- Ἠλίαςequivalent
- Iljazequivalent
- Elezequivalent
- Iljaequivalent
- İlyasequivalent
- ÉlieFrench
- ElíasSpanish
- Илинаequivalent
- Iiliäizh
- ইলিয়াসBengali
- ԵղիաArmenian, Classical Armenian
- ІльяBelarusian
- IrāiaMāori
- IlìaSicilian
- IllésHungarian
- EliesCatalan
- ÉliásHungarian
- LìaSicilian
- ІлиясKazakh
- ʻEliaHawaiian
- الیاسPersian
- ΗλίαςGreek
- LíggjasFaroese
- ИлијаMacedonian
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Elijah
- Elijah WoodAmerican actor (born 1981)
- Elijah MuhammadAmerican religious leader (1897-1975)
- Elijah JustNew Zealand association football playerborn 2000
- Elijah WinningtonAustralian swimmerborn 2000
- Elijah CummingsAmerican politician (1951-2019)
- Elijah ManangoiKenyan athletics competitor and middle-distance runnerborn 1993
- Elijah KelleyAmerican actor and singerborn 1986
- Elijah BurkeAmerican professional wrestlerborn 1978
- Elijah AdebayoEnglish footballer (born 1933)born 1998
Characters named Elijah: Elijah Baley (the Foundation universe by Isaac Asimov).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Elijah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Levi
“associated”
99% boys · 1% girls
Isaiah
“God is salvation” · “God is my salvation”
>99% boys
Emmanuel
“God is with us”
>99% boys
Jeremiah
“appointed by God” · “one who is exalted by the Lord”
>99% boys
Ethan
“firmness” · “long-lived”
>99% boys
Ezra
“help” · “one who is helpful”
95% boys · 5% girls
Isaac
“full of laughter”
>99% boys
Ezekiel
“God strengthens” · “strengthened by God”
>99% boys