Total births
380,611
Boys' name · since 1880
Elijah
Elijah has 380,611 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2011 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #8
- among boys today
- 380,611
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Elijah is the #8 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 380,611 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Elijah has been recorded 380,611 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #8 nationally and more common than 99.9% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #8 among boys today
- 380,611 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 99.9% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Elijah is currently the #8 boys' name in America, more common than 99.9% of boys - 380,611 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #8
- among boys today
- 380,611
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other boys
Elijah vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#8
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99.9% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
36% of everyone ever named Elijah was born in this single decade.
2011
Single peak year
14,001 babies were named Elijah in 2011 - its busiest year on record.
How Elijah compares
380,611 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 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
Elijah's all-time total is 1,037x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Elijah | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 380,611 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 14,001 | 23 | 22,252 |
Elijah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Elijah splits its recorded history at 1953: 97% of all births land in the more recent half, 3% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1894 (54 births) -- compare that against the 2011 peak of 14,001 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Elijah at a glance
Top 10 boys' namePeak year
2011
Current rank
#8
Active since
1880
Elijah popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2011)
- 14,001
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Elijah popularity over time - girls
1,304 total births recorded since 1926 (Elijah as girls' name)
Elijah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Elijah's strongest decade.
137,147 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Elijah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 856
1880s
856 births
- 1890s 704
1890s
704 births
- 1900s 725
1900s
725 births
- 1910s 1,963
1910s
1,963 births
- 1920s 2,755
1920s
2,755 births
- 1930s 2,135
1930s
2,135 births
- 1940s 2,399
1940s
2,399 births
- 1950s 2,314
1950s
2,314 births
- 1960s 1,524
1960s
1,524 births
- 1970s 3,400
1970s
3,400 births
- 1980s 7,567
1980s
7,567 births
- 1990s 34,652
1990s
34,652 births
- 2000s
2000s
110,421 births
- 2010s
2010s
137,147 births
- 2020s
2020s
72,049 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 137,147 births (36% of all-time use).
How Elijah 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 Elijah's total volume
Elijah vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Elijah by state
Where Elijah concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 41,556 | 10.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 35,089 | 9.2% |
| #3 | Florida | | 23,652 | 6.2% |
| #4 | New York | | 18,317 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 15,525 | 4.1% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 15,135 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 14,188 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 12,149 | 3.2% |
California share of Elijah's total US births 10.9%
Even split
41,556 of 380,611 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Elijah appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Elijah? ▼
380,611 babies have been named Elijah since 1880. It currently ranks #8 among boys. The peak year was 2011 with 14,001 births.
When was Elijah most popular? ▼
Elijah was most popular in the 2010s decade with 137,147 total births. The single peak year was 2011.
Where is Elijah most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Elijah are California (41,556 births), Texas (35,089 births), Florida (23,652 births).
How long has the name Elijah been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Elijah since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Elijah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Eli, Elias, Elisha, Elian, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Elijah's data
- Elijah's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (137,147 total births) through the 2020s (72,049) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Elijahs (41,556 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Elijah
Nearby Names Like Elijah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Elijah
Eli Boy
#92 153,495 births
Elias Boy
#25 129,263 births
Elisha Boy
#846 15,668 births
Elian Boy
#237 15,268 births
Eliseo Boy
#629 11,996 births
Compare Elijah side by side: Elijah vs Eli Elijah vs Elias Elijah vs Elisha
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Elijah
Mateo #7
126,693 births · Peak 2024
Lucas #9
331,092 births · Peak 2017
Henry #6
768,945 births · Peak 2025
William #10
4,199,696 births · Peak 1947
James #5
5,250,638 births · Peak 1947
Benjamin #11
826,830 births · Peak 1989
Theodore #4
317,206 births · Peak 2025
Levi #12
215,013 births · Peak 2022
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Elijah: #8 Boys' Name - 380,611 Births, Peak 2011." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/elijah. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Elijah 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 June 2026.