Elias
Elias was given to 8,837 boys in 2025, #13 among boys’ names; 129,502 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 121,000 Americans named Elias and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (94% of everyone recorded); the median is 10 years old and half are between 5 and 20.
Elias was given to 1,153 more boys in 2025 than in 2024, the #5 gain in babies among boys’ names.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Elias by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Elias mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Elias is “a male given name from Hebrew.”
The New Testament form of Elijah, a Hebrew prophet, from Ancient Greek Ἠλίας (Ēlías).
/ɪˈlaɪ̯.əs/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Elias?
#13 among boys’ names, 2025
Elias rose from #100 in 2015 to #13 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 2.1 to 5.2 per 1,000.
8,845 babies in 2025, the peak
Elias peaked in 2025, when 8,845 babies were given it (8,837 boys, #13 among boys’ names). In 2024 it went to 7,684 boys.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,837 | #13 | 5.2 |
| 2024 | 7,684 | #25 | 4.5 |
| 2023 | 7,006 | #36 | 4.1 |
| 2022 | 6,730 | #43 | 3.9 |
| 2021 | 6,355 | #48 | 3.6 |
| 2020 | 5,993 | #54 | 3.5 |
| 2019 | 5,722 | #60 | 3.2 |
| 2018 | 5,351 | #67 | 2.9 |
| 2017 | 4,931 | #78 | 2.7 |
| 2016 | 4,486 | #93 | 2.4 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 4,101 | #100 | 2.1 |
| 2014 | 3,784 | #103 | 2.0 |
| 2013 | 3,498 | #113 | 1.8 |
| 2012 | 3,229 | #115 | 1.7 |
| 2011 | 2,993 | #139 | 1.6 |
| 2010 | 2,830 | #141 | 1.5 |
| 2009 | 2,486 | #158 | 1.3 |
| 2008 | 2,522 | #157 | 1.2 |
| 2007 | 2,362 | #174 | 1.1 |
| 2006 | 2,163 | #186 | 1.1 |
| 2005 | 2,116 | #188 | 1.1 |
| 2004 | 1,760 | #207 | 0.89 |
| 2003 | 1,712 | #210 | 0.87 |
| 2002 | 1,575 | #218 | 0.81 |
| 2001 | 1,518 | #228 | 0.78 |
| 2000 | 1,403 | #242 | 0.71 |
| 1999 | 1,220 | #257 | 0.64 |
| 1998 | 1,140 | #261 | 0.60 |
| 1997 | 1,034 | #272 | 0.55 |
| 1996 | 919 | #291 | 0.49 |
| 1995 | 889 | #298 | 0.47 |
| 1994 | 812 | #319 | 0.42 |
| 1993 | 771 | #329 | 0.39 |
| 1992 | 698 | #342 | 0.35 |
| 1991 | 707 | #343 | 0.35 |
| 1990 | 666 | #361 | 0.32 |
| 1989 | 643 | #353 | 0.32 |
| 1988 | 548 | #369 | 0.29 |
| 1987 | 510 | #378 | 0.27 |
| 1986 | 422 | #415 | 0.23 |
| 1985 | 428 | #412 | 0.23 |
| 1984 | 350 | #447 | 0.19 |
| 1983 | 392 | #411 | 0.22 |
| 1982 | 405 | #414 | 0.22 |
| 1981 | 396 | #417 | 0.22 |
| 1980 | 385 | #422 | 0.22 |
| 1979 | 375 | #408 | 0.22 |
| 1978 | 357 | #412 | 0.22 |
| 1977 | 366 | #412 | 0.22 |
| 1976 | 311 | #444 | 0.20 |
| 1975 | 308 | #455 | 0.20 |
| 1974 | 310 | #454 | 0.20 |
| 1973 | 233 | #510 | 0.15 |
| 1972 | 254 | #495 | 0.16 |
| 1971 | 222 | #537 | 0.13 |
| 1970 | 226 | #538 | 0.12 |
| 1969 | 203 | #552 | 0.11 |
| 1968 | 165 | #592 | 0.09 |
| 1967 | 161 | #593 | 0.09 |
| 1966 | 170 | #580 | 0.10 |
| 1965 | 169 | #586 | 0.09 |
| 1964 | 182 | #587 | 0.09 |
| 1963 | 187 | #578 | 0.09 |
| 1962 | 176 | #589 | 0.09 |
| 1961 | 190 | #572 | 0.09 |
| 1960 | 171 | #601 | 0.08 |
| 1959 | 154 | #621 | 0.07 |
| 1958 | 151 | #624 | 0.07 |
| 1957 | 143 | #641 | 0.07 |
| 1956 | 146 | #629 | 0.07 |
| 1955 | 144 | #619 | 0.07 |
| 1954 | 165 | #576 | 0.08 |
| 1953 | 160 | #563 | 0.08 |
| 1952 | 164 | #543 | 0.08 |
| 1951 | 157 | #542 | 0.08 |
| 1950 | 163 | #528 | 0.09 |
| 1949 | 145 | #559 | 0.08 |
| 1948 | 133 | #579 | 0.08 |
| 1947 | 140 | #573 | 0.08 |
| 1946 | 101 | #638 | 0.06 |
| 1945 | 130 | #524 | 0.10 |
| 1944 | 118 | #560 | 0.09 |
| 1943 | 108 | #607 | 0.08 |
| 1942 | 111 | #593 | 0.08 |
| 1941 | 138 | #497 | 0.11 |
| 1940 | 103 | #582 | 0.09 |
| 1939 | 138 | #491 | 0.12 |
| 1938 | 124 | #521 | 0.11 |
| 1937 | 112 | #550 | 0.11 |
| 1936 | 116 | #530 | 0.11 |
| 1935 | 130 | #503 | 0.12 |
| 1934 | 128 | #515 | 0.12 |
| 1933 | 141 | #473 | 0.14 |
| 1932 | 145 | #475 | 0.14 |
| 1931 | 149 | #462 | 0.14 |
| 1930 | 172 | #453 | 0.16 |
| 1929 | 178 | #444 | 0.17 |
| 1928 | 181 | #446 | 0.16 |
| 1927 | 185 | #449 | 0.16 |
| 1926 | 207 | #421 | 0.19 |
| 1925 | 193 | #428 | 0.17 |
| 1924 | 180 | #457 | 0.16 |
| 1923 | 162 | #478 | 0.15 |
| 1922 | 162 | #483 | 0.15 |
| 1921 | 150 | #505 | 0.14 |
| 1920 | 168 | #470 | 0.16 |
| 1919 | 168 | #452 | 0.17 |
| 1918 | 141 | #502 | 0.14 |
| 1917 | 154 | #455 | 0.17 |
| 1916 | 163 | #439 | 0.18 |
| 1915 | 114 | #520 | 0.13 |
| 1914 | 111 | #454 | 0.17 |
| 1913 | 117 | #394 | 0.23 |
| 1912 | 97 | #390 | 0.23 |
| 1911 | 45 | #432 | 0.20 |
| 1910 | 34 | #474 | 0.18 |
| 1909 | 28 | #489 | 0.17 |
| 1908 | 40 | #361 | 0.26 |
| 1907 | 32 | #397 | 0.22 |
| 1906 | 18 | #553 | 0.14 |
| 1905 | 29 | #395 | 0.22 |
| 1904 | 26 | #411 | 0.20 |
| 1903 | 20 | #475 | 0.17 |
| 1902 | 21 | #464 | 0.17 |
| 1901 | 17 | #475 | 0.16 |
| 1900 | 23 | #480 | 0.15 |
| 1899 | 20 | #416 | 0.19 |
| 1898 | 32 | #339 | 0.26 |
| 1897 | 24 | #386 | 0.21 |
| 1896 | 28 | #364 | 0.23 |
| 1895 | 29 | #341 | 0.25 |
| 1894 | 36 | #291 | 0.31 |
| 1893 | 35 | #293 | 0.31 |
| 1892 | 38 | #299 | 0.31 |
| 1891 | 24 | #351 | 0.24 |
| 1890 | 36 | #289 | 0.32 |
| 1889 | 36 | #281 | 0.33 |
| 1888 | 24 | #378 | 0.20 |
| 1887 | 34 | #281 | 0.34 |
| 1886 | 41 | #265 | 0.37 |
| 1885 | 60 | #204 | 0.56 |
| 1884 | 48 | #248 | 0.42 |
| 1883 | 44 | #240 | 0.42 |
| 1882 | 57 | #217 | 0.50 |
| 1881 | 41 | #243 | 0.41 |
| 1880 | 65 | #189 | 0.59 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Elias a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Elias has been given almost only to boys: 239 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Elias: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Elias, and how old are they?
121,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 94% of the 129,502 Americans ever recorded as Elias. The median Elias alive today is 10 years old; half are between 5 and 20.
The 2020 Census counted 88,033 people named Elias (384 women and girls, 87,649 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 81,264 born in the U.S. The Census count is 8% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 430 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 1,990 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 3,780 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 9,150 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 31,700 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 74,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Elias born?
The states with the most babies named Elias are California, Texas and Florida, with 37% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,342 | #8 | 1.5× |
| Texas | 1,321 | #8 | 1.4× |
| Florida | 592 | #16 | 0.9× |
| New York | 406 | #29 | 1.0× |
| North Carolina | 329 | #14 | 0.8× |
| Arizona | 294 | #6 | 1.5× |
| Illinois | 293 | #19 | 0.8× |
| Georgia | 257 | #20 | 0.6× |
| Pennsylvania | 245 | #43 | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 235 | #39 | 0.6× |
Where Elias is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Elias is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 2.3 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Elias with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 191,472 babies since 1880, Elias is the most given (68% of them). In 2025 it was given to 8,845 of their 10,895 babies (81%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Elias
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Elias and names like it
- Compare Elias and EllisBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2020sElias peaked in 2025.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Elias since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Elias: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2025The year the most babies were named Elias.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Elias alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with EMost given first.