Given name & surname
Ilia
“from the ancient city”
Ilia is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “from the ancient city.”
Original GreekΉλια
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “from the ancient city.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ilia through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,077
- 256 boys · 821 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 90 babies
- 2025
- 90
- #2,430 for boys · #4,217 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +72%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 56 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,430 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 152.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 34 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,421 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.
Ilia’s family of names
Ilia has a related form in Ilya. In French usage, Ilia has a conventional equivalent in the English form Ilya. Ilia has a related form in Ilya.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ilia has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
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 14
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ilia
- Ilia ChavchavadzeGeorgian public figure and writer; a saint of Georgian Orthodox Church (1837-1907)
- Ilia II of GeorgiaPatriarch of Georgia (1933–2026)
- Ilia TopuriaGeorgian and Spanish mixed martial artist (born 1997)
- Ilia VekuaRussian mathematician (1907-1977)
- Ilia MalininAmerican figure skaterborn 2004
- Ilia KulikRussian figure skaterborn 1977
- Ilia SulamanidzeGeorgian judokaborn 2001
- Ilia AverbukhRussian ice dancerborn 1973
- Ilia ChernousovRussian cross-country skierborn 1986
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ilia, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Alexis
“helper and defender of mankind”
36% boys · 64% girls
Isa
“my God is bountiful” · “God is salvation”
62% boys · 38% girls
Aza
“one who provides comfort” · “powerful”
27% boys · 73% girls
Indra
“in Hinduism, the god of the sky and weather”
37% boys · 63% girls
Wylie
“a clever and coy woman”
72% boys · 28% girls
Ary
“resembling a lion or an eagle”
30% boys · 70% girls
Aris
“the best” · “one who is superior”
59% boys · 41% girls
Silver
“a precious metal; whiteskinned” · “a precious metal; a whiteskinned man”
27% boys · 73% girls