Ilya
Ilya, Iliya, Ilia, Ilja, Ilija, or Illia is the East Slavic form of the male Hebrew name Eliyahu (Eliahu), meaning "My God is Yahu/Jah." It comes from the Byzantine Greek pronunciation of the vocative (Ilía) of the Greek Elias. It is pronounced with stress on the second syllable. The diminutive form is Iliusha or Iliushen'ka.
- Russian
- Belarusian
Meaning & Origin of Ilya
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ilya, Iliya, Ilia, Ilja, Ilija, or Illia is the East Slavic form of the male Hebrew name Eliyahu (Eliahu), meaning "My God is Yahu/Jah." It comes from the Byzantine Greek pronunciation of the vocative (Ilía) of the Greek Elias. It is pronounced with stress on the second syllable. The diminutive form is Iliusha or Iliushen'ka.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Russian
- Belarusian
The Story of Ilya
As a girl name
American parents first put Ilya on the record books as a girl name in 1961, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2021, when 25 Ilyas were born — ranking #5,089 that year. About 48% of every Ilya on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Ilya ranks #6,843 for girls with 16 births, holding steady (+4%). All told, over 262 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Ilya first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1966, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2018: 48 births, good for #2,617 nationwide. About 36% of every Ilya on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Ilya ranks #3,830 for boys with 29 births, falling sharply (-22%). All told, over 990 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Ilya
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Ilya. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Ilya
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ilya is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ilya
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About the name Ilya
Ilya is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1966 and has accumulated 990 births in the dataset. Ilya's peak popularity came in 2018 when it ranked #2,617. Use the chart and map above to compare Ilya's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2018 →
- Names of the 2010s →
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- Top names of 2026 →
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Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.