What does the name Elijah mean?

Elijah means my God is Yahweh. A major prophet in the Hebrew Bible.

Where does the name Elijah come from?

Elijah is a boy name of Hebrew origin.

Is Elijah a boy or a girl name?

Elijah is used for both. In U.S. Social Security records, about 0% of children given the name Elijah are girls and 100% are boys.

How popular is the name Elijah in 2023?

Elijah ranks #6025 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 2011 with 14,034 babies.

How do you pronounce Elijah?

Elijah is pronounced ee-LIE-jah (3 syllables).

What are common spellings of Elijah?

Elijah is also written as Elias, Elie, Ilyas.

A name from Hebrew · Boy

Elijah

My God is Yahweh. A major prophet in the Hebrew Bible.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

358,262 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

11,543 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

EMy God is Yahweh. A major prophet in the Hebrew Bible.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Elijah".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Elias Most common Elie Ilyas

Name family

Elijah / Ilyas

The prophet of Mount Carmel, named in the Qur’an as Ilyas. Honored in all three Abrahamic faiths.

Ilyas إِلْيَاس

Arabic

Eliyahu אֵלִיָּהוּ

Hebrew

Elijah

English / biblical

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Elijah.

E
Elijah Wood (actor)

Quick answers

People often ask about Elijah.

What does the name Elijah mean?: Elijah means my God is Yahweh. A major prophet in the Hebrew Bible.
Where does the name Elijah come from?: Elijah is a boy name of Hebrew origin.
Is Elijah a boy or a girl name?: Elijah is used for both. In U.S. Social Security records, about 0% of children given the name Elijah are girls and 100% are boys.
How popular is the name Elijah in 2023?: Elijah ranks #6025 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 2011 with 14,034 babies.
How do you pronounce Elijah?: Elijah is pronounced ee-LIE-jah (3 syllables).
What are common spellings of Elijah?: Elijah is also written as Elias, Elie, Ilyas.

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.