Eligah
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh is my God".
Name Census estimates that about 632 living Americans carry the first name Eligah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eligah today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eligah births was 1918 (52 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eligah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
632
~ 1 in 542,333 Americans
Peak year
1918
52 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2021 SSA rank
#10,015
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Eligah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eligah from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 330 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eligah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Eligah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Eligahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Eligah, while North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 41 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Eligah
The given name Eligah is believed to have its origins in the Hebrew language, derived from the biblical name Elijah. The name Elijah itself is a combination of two Hebrew words, "El" meaning "God" and "Yah" being a shortened form of the sacred name "Yahweh" or "Jehovah." This linguistic connection suggests that the name Eligah carries a meaning akin to "God is my Lord" or "God is Yahweh."
Elijah was a prominent prophet in the Hebrew Bible, renowned for his unwavering faith and miraculous deeds. His story is recounted in the Books of Kings, where he is depicted as a courageous defender of the worship of the one true God against the pagan practices of his time. The name Eligah, being a variation of Elijah, likely emerged as a tribute to this revered biblical figure, reflecting a desire to honor his legacy and the values he embodied.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eligah can be found in the writings of Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian from the first century AD. In his work, "Antiquities of the Jews," Josephus mentions an individual named Eligah who played a role in the turbulent events surrounding the Jewish revolt against Roman rule.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Eligah. One such example is Eligah Ash (1692-1753), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote extensively on theological matters. Another is Eligah Bates (1749-1841), an American Revolutionary War soldier and one of the last surviving veterans of the conflict.
In the realm of literature, Eligah Fenton (1683-1730) was an English poet and playwright who is best known for his translations of classical works, including Homer's Odyssey. Similarly, Eligah Hinsdale (1812-1900) was an American educator and author who contributed significantly to the field of education through his writings and teachings.
Finally, Eligah Lovejoy (1802-1837) was an American abolitionist and newspaper editor who was tragically killed for his vocal opposition to slavery. His martyrdom helped galvanize the anti-slavery movement and highlighted the intense tensions surrounding the issue in the years leading up to the American Civil War.
While these are just a few examples, the name Eligah has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, each contributing to their respective fields and leaving their mark on history.
People
Eligah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eligah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eligah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eligah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 632 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eligah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 542,333 US residents.
Is Eligah a common name?
We classify Eligah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,740 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eligah most popular?
The single biggest year for Eligah was 1918, when 52 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eligah is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Eligah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eligah in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.