Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys
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.
From Wikipedia
In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Elijah yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.
We're not religious, but I've always loved Old Testament names. Something about them feels grounded, like they've been tested by time. Elijah also has this quiet strength to it — it doesn't shout, it just stands there.
— Marcus, Atlanta GA, 2020
My grandmother's maiden name was Elias. Elijah felt like a version that honored that without being a direct copy. She cried when we told her.
— Alicia, Phoenix AZ, 2021
Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.
→ See names similar to Elijah · Compare Elijah with another name → · Popular names of the 2010s · Boys names starting with E
Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 100 | #135 |
| 1881 | 69 | #172 |
| 1882 | 111 | #126 |
| 1883 | 92 | #135 |
| 1884 | 85 | #164 |
| 1885 | 82 | #163 |
| 1886 | 93 | #152 |
| 1887 | 75 | #169 |
| 1888 | 88 | #171 |
| 1889 | 61 | #209 |
| 1890 | 64 | #204 |
| 1891 | 57 | #210 |
| 1892 | 85 | #184 |
| 1893 | 77 | #189 |
| 1894 | 54 | #235 |
| 1895 | 75 | #194 |
| 1896 | 87 | #186 |
| 1897 | 65 | #209 |
| 1898 | 76 | #197 |
| 1899 | 64 | #205 |
| 1900 | 86 | #211 |
| 1901 | 79 | #184 |
| 1902 | 66 | #221 |
| 1903 | 58 | #240 |
| 1904 | 60 | #243 |
| 1905 | 81 | #212 |
| 1906 | 65 | #243 |
| 1907 | 76 | #234 |
| 1908 | 64 | #266 |
| 1909 | 90 | #231 |
| 1910 | 101 | #234 |
| 1911 | 94 | #269 |
| 1912 | 142 | #303 |
| 1913 | 149 | #335 |
| 1914 | 187 | #340 |
| 1915 | 243 | #340 |
| 1916 | 232 | #353 |
| 1917 | 256 | #348 |
| 1918 | 264 | #358 |
| 1919 | 295 | #327 |
| 1920 | 277 | #356 |
| 1921 | 257 | #378 |
| 1922 | 311 | #327 |
| 1923 | 302 | #335 |
| 1924 | 261 | #375 |
| 1925 | 283 | #348 |
| 1926 | 276 | #348 |
| 1927 | 290 | #336 |
| 1928 | 255 | #365 |
| 1929 | 243 | #368 |
| 1930 | 226 | #378 |
| 1931 | 198 | #400 |
| 1932 | 231 | #365 |
| 1933 | 198 | #386 |
| 1934 | 209 | #379 |
| 1935 | 210 | #374 |
| 1936 | 221 | #365 |
| 1937 | 210 | #382 |
| 1938 | 195 | #407 |
| 1939 | 237 | #371 |
| 1940 | 201 | #405 |
| 1941 | 239 | #375 |
| 1942 | 245 | #387 |
| 1943 | 221 | #416 |
| 1944 | 227 | #399 |
| 1945 | 237 | #388 |
| 1946 | 222 | #426 |
| 1947 | 296 | #399 |
| 1948 | 244 | #427 |
| 1949 | 267 | #415 |
| 1950 | 282 | #403 |
| 1951 | 223 | #453 |
| 1952 | 263 | #431 |
| 1953 | 248 | #455 |
| 1954 | 254 | #453 |
| 1955 | 235 | #478 |
| 1956 | 197 | #533 |
| 1957 | 218 | #522 |
| 1958 | 209 | #532 |
| 1959 | 185 | #575 |
| 1960 | 180 | #580 |
| 1961 | 194 | #564 |
| 1962 | 179 | #583 |
| 1963 | 149 | #642 |
| 1964 | 161 | #618 |
| 1965 | 122 | #672 |
| 1966 | 140 | #626 |
| 1967 | 134 | #646 |
| 1968 | 122 | #680 |
| 1969 | 143 | #660 |
| 1970 | 184 | #597 |
| 1971 | 196 | #589 |
| 1972 | 209 | #552 |
| 1973 | 212 | #537 |
| 1974 | 288 | #472 |
| 1975 | 263 | #491 |
| 1976 | 302 | #450 |
| 1977 | 504 | #350 |
| 1978 | 548 | #320 |
| 1979 | 696 | #290 |
| 1980 | 754 | #279 |
| 1981 | 750 | #277 |
| 1982 | 739 | #280 |
| 1983 | 671 | #296 |
| 1984 | 631 | #310 |
| 1985 | 681 | #299 |
| 1986 | 718 | #290 |
| 1987 | 746 | #289 |
| 1988 | 886 | #266 |
| 1989 | 991 | #257 |
| 1990 | 1,139 | #243 |
| 1991 | 1,345 | #222 |
| 1992 | 1,523 | #203 |
| 1993 | 1,882 | #170 |
| 1994 | 2,621 | #133 |
| 1995 | 3,976 | #93 |
| 1996 | 4,818 | #81 |
| 1997 | 5,089 | #74 |
| 1998 | 5,662 | #66 |
| 1999 | 6,596 | #60 |
| 2000 | 7,472 | #52 |
| 2001 | 8,339 | #45 |
| 2002 | 10,053 | #41 |
| 2003 | 10,665 | #37 |
| 2004 | 11,714 | #31 |
| 2005 | 11,612 | #31 |
| 2006 | 12,055 | #29 |
| 2007 | 12,424 | #30 |
| 2008 | 13,239 | #22 |
| 2009 | 12,845 | #21 |
| 2010 | 13,919 | #18 |
| 2011 | 13,997 | #13 |
| 2012 | 13,909 | #13 |
| 2013 | 13,826 | #11 |
| 2014 | 13,881 | #11 |
| 2015 | 13,707 | #11 |
| 2016 | 13,970 | #9 |
| 2017 | 13,444 | #8 |
| 2018 | 13,012 | #7 |
| 2019 | 13,428 | #5 |
| 2020 | 13,224 | #4 |
| 2021 | 12,825 | #4 |
| 2022 | 12,075 | #5 |
| 2023 | 11,503 | #5 |
| 2024 | 11,171 | #8 |
