Boys' name · since 1880

Elihu

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 1,236 babies named Elihu, peaking in 1928. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#4,484 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,149 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,236
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade

Elihu currently ranks #6149 among boys' names in America, with 1,236 babies recorded since 1880.

Social Security Administration records show Elihu recorded 1,236 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #6149 nationally today, ahead of 56% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • #4,484 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #6,149 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 1,236 born since 1880
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elihu ranks #4,484 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,149 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,236 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.

#4,484 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#6,149 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,236
born since 1880
1920s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%55.8%
Elihu vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Elihu's 1,236 recorded births place it above 90.13% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

4 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 4 jurisdictions, led by New York.

How Elihu compares

1,236 Top 29% higher than 71% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.

Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data

How the numbers stack up

Elihu's all-time total is 3x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Elihu Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 1,236 369 358,536
Peak-year births 26 34 22,252

Elihu's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Elihu splits its recorded history at 1961: 52% of all births land in the more recent half, 48% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1883 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1928 peak of 26 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Elihu popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1928)
26
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
051015202530 188019181932194719641990200420182025 14

Elihu by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (178 births, 14% of the file).

1920s was Elihu's strongest decade.

178 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.

Elihu births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 178 births (14% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Elihu compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Elihu's total volume

Elihu vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -36, 6.9%-32, 6.8%-54, 4.4%-38, 14.7%-61, 4.5%-58, 4%-106, 4.2%-101, 4.7%-49, 4.8%-50, 4.4%-17, 10%-52, 5.6%-77, 3.8%-75, 3.5%-66, 4.3%Elihu-146, 2.1%Elihu
Elihu vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Elihu by state

Where Elihu concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 4 states by recorded births for the name Elihu
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
73 5.9%
#2 California
29 2.3%
#3 Texas
24 1.9%
#4 Kentucky
11 0.9%
New York share of Elihu's total US births 5.9%
Even split

73 of 1,236 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 4 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Elihu? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 1,236 babies named Elihu. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #4,484 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #6,149 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1928, with 26 births.
Where does Elihu sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elihu ranks #4,484 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,149 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Elihu most popular? ▼
Elihu was most popular in the 1920s decade with 178 total births. The single peak year was 1928.
Where is Elihu most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Elihu are New York (73 births), California (29 births), Texas (24 births).
How long has the name Elihu been used? ▼
Records for Elihu go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Elihu? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elijah, Eli, Elias, Elisha, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Elihu's data

  • Elihu's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (178 total births) through the 2020s (96) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • New York records the most Elihus (73 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Elihu

Nearby Names Like Elihu

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elihu

Elijah Boy
#7 380,611 births
Eli Boy
#104 153,495 births
Elias Boy
#13 129,263 births
Elisha Boy
#788 15,668 births
Elian Boy
#147 15,268 births

Compare Elihu side by side: Elihu vs Elijah Elihu vs Eli Elihu vs Elias

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Elihu

Albin #6148
4,431 births · Peak 1919
Esequiel #6150
2,944 births · Peak 1974
Parley #6147
687 births · Peak 1918
Ruel #6151
1,921 births · Peak 1915
Emma #6146
1,733 births · Peak 2004
Cris #6152
3,033 births · Peak 1960
Merrill #6145
12,988 births · Peak 1926
Lovell #6153
3,412 births · Peak 1916

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Elihu: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Elihu draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.