ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1926 First Year 2026 Last Year 2004 Peak Year #2264 Peak Rank 1K Total Count 56 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Elijah What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Elijah is a masculine given name after the prophet Elijah in the Hebrew Bible. Elijah was among the five most popular names for Black newborn boys in the American state of Virginia in 2022 and again in 2023\. In 2022, it was the 37th-most popular name given to boys in Canada. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English * Hebrew * Biblical [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Elijah](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Andrea_di_Bonaiuto_-_Madonna_and_Child_with_Saints_%28detail%29_-_WGA00311.jpg/330px-Andrea_di_Bonaiuto_-_Madonna_and_Child_with_Saints_%28detail%29_-_WGA00311.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 📖 ## The Story of Elijah Elijah first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 100 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2011, when 13,997 Elijahs were born — ranking #13 that year. As of 2026, Elijah ranks #8 for baby boys with 10,662 births, gradually falling (-15%). In total, more than 391K Elijahs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Elijah Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Elijah. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Alijah](/alijah) * [Eli](/eli) * [Eliah](/eliah) * [Eliya](/eliya) * [Eliyahu](/eliyahu) 🌐 ## Where is Elijah most common? Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally. * 🇳🇬Nigeria43% * 🏳️GH18% * 🇰🇪Kenya15% * 🏳️NE14% * 🏳️UG10% Source: [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts. 🎶 ## Names that sound like Elijah Phonetically similar names — useful when Elijah is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Elija](/elija) * [Alija](/alija) * [Ilija](/ilija) * Elegia * Elegy * [Elisha](/elisha) * Elogy * Elegie * [Elishah](/elishah) * Ellijay * [Alicia](/alicia) * [Elia](/elia) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Elijah What does the name Elijah mean? Elijah is a masculine given name after the prophet Elijah in the Hebrew Bible. Elijah was among the five most popular names for Black newborn boys in the American state of Virginia in 2022 and again in 2023\. In 2022, it was the 37th-most popular name given to boys in Canada. What is the origin of the name Elijah? Elijah has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, Hebrew, Biblical. How popular is Elijah in 2026? In 2026, Elijah ranks #8 among boys' names in the U.S., with 10,662 babies given the name that year. When was Elijah most popular? Elijah reached its peak popularity in 2011, ranking #4 that year with 13,997 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Elijah most popular? Elijah has historically been most popular in Arkansas, Hawaii, Indiana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Elijah. Is Elijah a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Elijah is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Elijah? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Elijah include Charles, George, Theodore. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Elijah? Common variants and related forms of Elijah include Alijah, Eli, Eliah, Eliya, Eliyahu. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧AlmerPeak #2264](/almer)[👧EvvaPeak #2264](/evva)[👧ElciePeak #2264](/elcie)[👧LovenaPeak #2264](/lovena)[👧VanillaPeak #2264](/vanilla)[👧RosinePeak #2264](/rosine)[👧AlphiaPeak #2264](/alphia)[👧EuthaPeak #2264](/eutha) ## About the name Elijah Elijah is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 391K births in the dataset. Elijah's peak popularity came in 2011 when it ranked #4\. Use the chart and map above to compare Elijah's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2011 → ](/year/2011) * [ Names of the 2010s → ](/decade/2010s) * [ Names starting with "E" → ](/letter/e) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.