Elijah
Elijah was given to 11,111 boys in 2025, #7 among boys’ names; 381,915 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 365,000 Americans named Elijah and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (96% of everyone recorded); the median is 15 years old and half are between 8 and 22.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Elijah by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Elijah mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Elijah is “a male given name from Hebrew.” Its etymology gives the sense “Yahweh is my god” (literally).
Also “a female given name from Hebrew, of chiefly Philippine usage.”
From Hebrew אליהו (Eliyahu, literally “Yahweh is my god”). Doublet of Ilya and Iliya. Compare Joel.
/ɪˈlaɪd͡ʒə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Elijah?
#7 among boys’ names, 2025
Elijah rose from #11 in 2015 to #7 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born fell from 7.2 to 6.5 per 1,000.
14,034 babies in 2011, the peak
Elijah peaked in 2011, when 14,034 babies were given it (14,001 boys, #13 among boys’ names). The 11,126 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 79% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11,111 | #7 | 6.5 |
| 2024 | 11,238 | #8 | 6.5 |
| 2023 | 11,523 | #5 | 6.7 |
| 2022 | 12,094 | #5 | 6.9 |
| 2021 | 12,845 | #4 | 7.3 |
| 2020 | 13,238 | #4 | 7.7 |
| 2019 | 13,436 | #5 | 7.5 |
| 2018 | 13,020 | #7 | 7.2 |
| 2017 | 13,449 | #8 | 7.3 |
| 2016 | 13,982 | #9 | 7.4 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 13,710 | #11 | 7.2 |
| 2014 | 13,886 | #11 | 7.2 |
| 2013 | 13,829 | #11 | 7.3 |
| 2012 | 13,914 | #13 | 7.3 |
| 2011 | 14,001 | #13 | 7.4 |
| 2010 | 13,920 | #18 | 7.3 |
| 2009 | 12,846 | #21 | 6.5 |
| 2008 | 13,241 | #22 | 6.5 |
| 2007 | 12,424 | #30 | 6.0 |
| 2006 | 12,055 | #29 | 5.9 |
| 2005 | 11,612 | #31 | 5.8 |
| 2004 | 11,714 | #31 | 5.9 |
| 2003 | 10,665 | #37 | 5.4 |
| 2002 | 10,053 | #41 | 5.2 |
| 2001 | 8,339 | #45 | 4.3 |
| 2000 | 7,472 | #52 | 3.8 |
| 1999 | 6,596 | #60 | 3.4 |
| 1998 | 5,662 | #66 | 3.0 |
| 1997 | 5,089 | #74 | 2.7 |
| 1996 | 4,818 | #81 | 2.5 |
| 1995 | 3,977 | #93 | 2.1 |
| 1994 | 2,621 | #133 | 1.4 |
| 1993 | 1,882 | #170 | 1.0 |
| 1992 | 1,523 | #203 | 0.76 |
| 1991 | 1,345 | #222 | 0.67 |
| 1990 | 1,139 | #243 | 0.55 |
| 1989 | 991 | #257 | 0.50 |
| 1988 | 886 | #266 | 0.46 |
| 1987 | 746 | #289 | 0.40 |
| 1986 | 718 | #290 | 0.39 |
| 1985 | 681 | #299 | 0.37 |
| 1984 | 631 | #310 | 0.35 |
| 1983 | 671 | #296 | 0.37 |
| 1982 | 739 | #280 | 0.41 |
| 1981 | 750 | #277 | 0.42 |
| 1980 | 754 | #279 | 0.42 |
| 1979 | 696 | #290 | 0.40 |
| 1978 | 548 | #320 | 0.33 |
| 1977 | 504 | #350 | 0.31 |
| 1976 | 301 | #452 | 0.19 |
| 1975 | 263 | #491 | 0.17 |
| 1974 | 287 | #472 | 0.18 |
| 1973 | 212 | #537 | 0.14 |
| 1972 | 209 | #552 | 0.13 |
| 1971 | 196 | #589 | 0.11 |
| 1970 | 184 | #597 | 0.10 |
| 1969 | 143 | #660 | 0.08 |
| 1968 | 122 | #680 | 0.07 |
| 1967 | 134 | #645 | 0.08 |
| 1966 | 140 | #626 | 0.08 |
| 1965 | 122 | #672 | 0.07 |
| 1964 | 161 | #618 | 0.08 |
| 1963 | 149 | #642 | 0.07 |
| 1962 | 179 | #583 | 0.09 |
| 1961 | 194 | #565 | 0.09 |
| 1960 | 180 | #579 | 0.08 |
| 1959 | 185 | #574 | 0.09 |
| 1958 | 209 | #531 | 0.10 |
| 1957 | 218 | #521 | 0.10 |
| 1956 | 197 | #532 | 0.09 |
| 1955 | 235 | #477 | 0.11 |
| 1954 | 254 | #452 | 0.12 |
| 1953 | 248 | #454 | 0.13 |
| 1952 | 263 | #430 | 0.14 |
| 1951 | 223 | #452 | 0.12 |
| 1950 | 282 | #402 | 0.16 |
| 1949 | 267 | #414 | 0.15 |
| 1948 | 244 | #427 | 0.14 |
| 1947 | 296 | #399 | 0.16 |
| 1946 | 222 | #426 | 0.14 |
| 1945 | 237 | #388 | 0.18 |
| 1944 | 227 | #399 | 0.17 |
| 1943 | 221 | #416 | 0.15 |
| 1942 | 245 | #388 | 0.18 |
| 1941 | 239 | #375 | 0.19 |
| 1940 | 201 | #405 | 0.17 |
| 1939 | 237 | #371 | 0.21 |
| 1938 | 195 | #407 | 0.18 |
| 1937 | 210 | #382 | 0.20 |
| 1936 | 221 | #365 | 0.21 |
| 1935 | 210 | #374 | 0.20 |
| 1934 | 209 | #379 | 0.20 |
| 1933 | 198 | #386 | 0.20 |
| 1932 | 231 | #365 | 0.22 |
| 1931 | 198 | #400 | 0.19 |
| 1930 | 226 | #378 | 0.21 |
| 1929 | 243 | #368 | 0.23 |
| 1928 | 255 | #365 | 0.23 |
| 1927 | 290 | #336 | 0.26 |
| 1926 | 276 | #348 | 0.25 |
| 1925 | 283 | #348 | 0.25 |
| 1924 | 261 | #375 | 0.23 |
| 1923 | 302 | #335 | 0.28 |
| 1922 | 311 | #327 | 0.29 |
| 1921 | 257 | #378 | 0.23 |
| 1920 | 277 | #356 | 0.26 |
| 1919 | 295 | #327 | 0.30 |
| 1918 | 264 | #358 | 0.26 |
| 1917 | 256 | #348 | 0.28 |
| 1916 | 232 | #353 | 0.26 |
| 1915 | 243 | #340 | 0.29 |
| 1914 | 187 | #340 | 0.29 |
| 1913 | 149 | #335 | 0.29 |
| 1912 | 142 | #303 | 0.33 |
| 1911 | 94 | #269 | 0.42 |
| 1910 | 101 | #234 | 0.52 |
| 1909 | 90 | #231 | 0.55 |
| 1908 | 64 | #266 | 0.41 |
| 1907 | 76 | #234 | 0.52 |
| 1906 | 65 | #243 | 0.49 |
| 1905 | 81 | #212 | 0.61 |
| 1904 | 60 | #243 | 0.47 |
| 1903 | 58 | #240 | 0.49 |
| 1902 | 66 | #221 | 0.54 |
| 1901 | 79 | #184 | 0.74 |
| 1900 | 86 | #211 | 0.57 |
| 1899 | 64 | #205 | 0.60 |
| 1898 | 76 | #197 | 0.62 |
| 1897 | 65 | #209 | 0.58 |
| 1896 | 87 | #186 | 0.73 |
| 1895 | 75 | #194 | 0.64 |
| 1894 | 54 | #235 | 0.47 |
| 1893 | 77 | #189 | 0.69 |
| 1892 | 85 | #184 | 0.70 |
| 1891 | 57 | #210 | 0.56 |
| 1890 | 64 | #204 | 0.58 |
| 1889 | 61 | #209 | 0.55 |
| 1888 | 88 | #171 | 0.73 |
| 1887 | 75 | #169 | 0.74 |
| 1886 | 93 | #152 | 0.84 |
| 1885 | 82 | #163 | 0.76 |
| 1884 | 85 | #164 | 0.74 |
| 1883 | 92 | #135 | 0.88 |
| 1882 | 111 | #126 | 1.0 |
| 1881 | 69 | #172 | 0.68 |
| 1880 | 100 | #135 | 0.91 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Elijah a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Elijah has been given almost only to boys: 1,304 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Elijah: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Elijah, and how old are they?
365,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 96% of the 381,915 Americans ever recorded as Elijah. The median Elijah alive today is 15 years old; half are between 8 and 22.
The 2020 Census counted 252,751 people named Elijah (1,126 women and girls, 251,625 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 299,331 born in the U.S. The Census count is 16% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 781 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 2,720 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 4,360 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 23,300 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 168,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 166,000 |
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 Elijah born?
The states with the most babies named Elijah are Texas, California and Florida, with 32% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1,455 | #6 | 0.9× |
| California | 1,257 | #10 | 0.9× |
| Florida | 868 | #4 | 1.1× |
| Georgia | 473 | #4 | 1.2× |
| North Carolina | 426 | #7 | 1.3× |
| Ohio | 393 | #9 | 1.0× |
| New York | 391 | #35 | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 350 | #16 | 0.8× |
| Virginia | 314 | #8 | 1.1× |
| Michigan | 312 | #10 | 0.9× |
Where Elijah is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Elijah is most over-represented in South Carolina: since 1910 it was given 1.4 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 Elijah 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 388,200 babies since 1880, Elijah is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 11,126 of their 11,214 babies (99%), 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 Elijah
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 Elijah and names like it
- Compare Elijah and ElyjahBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sElijah peaked in 2011.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Elijah since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Elijah: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2011The year the most babies were named Elijah.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Elijah alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with EMost given first.