Ilay
A feminine name of Hebrew origin referring to a joyful tree.
Name Census estimates that about 186 living Americans carry the first name Ilay. It is a predominantly male name (96.3% of registrations). The average person named Ilay today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ilay births was 2024 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ilay. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ilay with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
186
~ 1 in 1,842,765 Americans
Peak year
2024
30 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,463
Tracked since 2008
Gender
Gender distribution for Ilay
Ilay leans heavily male at 96.3% of total registrations, but 7 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ilay as a male name
- Ranked #4,463 in 2024
- 23 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (23 births)
Ilay as a female name
- Ranked #12,622 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (7 births)
Popularity
Ilay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ilay 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 95 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ilay 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 Ilay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ilays live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ilay
The name Ilay is believed to have its origins in the ancient Hebrew language, with its earliest recorded use dating back to biblical times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "il," which means "God," and the suffix "-ay," which is a possessive form indicating belonging or relation. Thus, Ilay essentially means "belonging to God" or "belonging to the Lord."
One of the earliest mentions of the name Ilay can be found in the Book of Samuel, where it refers to a man named Ilay who was one of the mighty warriors in the army of King David. This biblical reference suggests that the name was in use among the Israelites during the 10th century BCE.
In the centuries that followed, the name Ilay continued to be used by Jewish families, particularly in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. It gained popularity among the Sephardic Jewish communities of Spain and Portugal before their expulsion in the late 15th century.
Notable historical figures who bore the name Ilay include Ilay ben Abba, a prominent Jewish scholar and teacher who lived in Palestine during the 3rd century CE. He is known for his contributions to the development of Jewish law and his interpretations of the Mishnah.
Another notable bearer of the name was Ilay Davidovich, a Russian-born Israeli poet and writer who lived from 1887 to 1925. He was a prominent figure in the Hebrew literary renaissance and played a significant role in the revival of the Hebrew language and the development of modern Hebrew literature.
In the realm of religious scholarship, Ilay Meir Weiss-Halivni (1915-2013) was a renowned Israeli rabbi and Talmudic scholar. He made significant contributions to the study of the Talmud and is known for his groundbreaking work on the formation and development of the Oral Law.
Moving to more recent times, Ilay Goren (born 1979) is an Israeli businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded the successful technology company Wix.com. He has been recognized for his contributions to the digital landscape and has received numerous awards and accolades.
Finally, Ilay Almozlino (born 1988) is a French-Israeli professional basketball player who has played for various teams in the EuroLeague and the Israeli Premier League. He has represented the Israeli national team in international competitions and is considered one of the top players in Israeli basketball history.
People
Ilay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ilay as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ilay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ilay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 186 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ilay 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 1,842,765 US residents.
Is Ilay a common name?
We classify Ilay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 187 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ilay most popular?
The single biggest year for Ilay was 2024, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ilay is about 7 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 Ilay in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ilay a male name?
Yes, 96.3% of people registered as Ilay 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 Ilay still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ilay 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 Ilay 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 are named Ilay?
Find out how many Americans are named Ilay on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.