Given name & surname
Ilya
“Jehovah is my God”·“from the ancient city”·“yahweh is God”
Ilya is a variant of Ilia. One Greek interpretation is “from the ancient city.” Ilya is a form of Elias. In Hebrew use, Elias carries the interpretation “Jehovah is my God.”
Original RussianИлья́
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Russian use, Ilya carries the interpretation “Jehovah is my God.” Ilya is a variant of Ilia. One Greek interpretation is “from the ancient city.” Ilya is a form of Elias. In Hebrew use, Elias carries the interpretation “Jehovah is my God.” Ilya 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 Russian.
How it developed
In Russian use, Ilya is used as a form of Elias. Ilya is used as a form of Elijah.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1961. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Ilya 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
Ilya through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,226
- 970 boys · 256 girls
- Most popular year
- 2018
- 65 babies
- 2025
- 64
- #3,153 for boys · #5,027 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +7%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 38 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,153 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 7.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 48 in 2018. It also appeared in 26 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,505 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.
Ilya’s family of names
In English usage, Ilya has a diminutive in ILYUSHA. In English usage, Ilya shares an earlier linguistic root with Elijah. Ilya is a form of Elias.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ilya has relatives in 7 languages. Lines run from its Russian roots to each of them.
Russianwhere Ilya comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 26
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ilya
- Ilya RepinRussian-empire painter of Ukrainian birth (1844-1930)
- Élie MetchnikoffRussian-French immunologist, embryologist, biologist1845–1916
- Ilya PrigogineRussian-Belgian physical chemist (1917–2003)
- Ilya FrankSoviet physicist1908–1990
- Ilya EhrenburgSoviet writer, Bolshevik revolutionary, journalist and historian (1891–1967)
- Ilya IlfSoviet writer and journalist (1897–1937)
- Ilya KutepovRussian footballerborn 1993
- Ilya YashinRussian activist and liberal politicianborn 1983
- Ilya GlazunovRussian artist (1930-2017)
Characters named Ilya: Illya Kuryakin (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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