Eliijah
A Hebrew name meaning "my God is Yahweh".
Name Census estimates that about 48 living Americans carry the first name Eliijah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eliijah today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eliijah births was 2008 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eliijah. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Eliijah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
48
~ 1 in 7,140,715 Americans
Peak year
2008
8 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,585
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Eliijah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eliijah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 30 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eliijah 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 Eliijah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Eliijah
The name Eliijah is of Hebrew origin and has its roots in the biblical name Eliyahu, which means "my God is Yahweh" or "the Lord is my God." The name can be traced back to ancient Hebrew texts and scriptures, particularly the Old Testament of the Bible.
One of the most prominent historical figures bearing this name is the prophet Elijah, who lived in the 9th century BCE during the reign of King Ahab in the Kingdom of Israel. Elijah is revered in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as a highly influential and significant prophet. His story is recounted in the biblical books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings, where he performs miracles and confronts the worship of pagan gods.
In the New Testament, Elijah is mentioned as a precursor to the coming of the Messiah and is associated with John the Baptist. The name Eliijah is also found in the Quran, where he is referred to as Ilyas and is recognized as a prophet sent by God.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Eliijah. One of the earliest recorded examples is Elijah ben Solomon, a prominent Jewish scholar and religious leader who lived in the 16th century and authored a significant work on Jewish law and ethics called "Shevet Musar."
Another important figure is Elijah Muhammad (1897-1975), a highly influential leader of the Nation of Islam movement in the United States. He played a crucial role in the spread of Islam among African Americans and advocated for black empowerment and self-determination.
In the field of literature, Elijah Fenton (1683-1730) was an English poet and writer who is best known for his translation of several works by ancient Greek and Roman authors, including Homer's Odyssey and Virgil's Eclogues.
Additionally, Elijah Craig (1738-1808) was an American Baptist minister and pioneer in the bourbon whiskey industry. He is credited with revolutionizing the aging process of bourbon and establishing the use of charred oak barrels, which became a defining characteristic of Kentucky bourbon.
Elijah Lovejoy (1802-1837) was an American Presbyterian minister, journalist, and abolitionist who was murdered by a pro-slavery mob for his anti-slavery publications and advocacy in Illinois. His death drew national attention and became a catalyst for the abolitionist movement in the United States.
People
Eliijah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eliijah 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
Eliijah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eliijah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 48 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eliijah 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 7,140,715 US residents.
Is Eliijah a common name?
We classify Eliijah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 48 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eliijah most popular?
The single biggest year for Eliijah was 2008, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eliijah is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Eliijah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eliijah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eliijah 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.
Is Eliijah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eliijah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Eliijah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Eliijah as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.