Ileia
A feminine name of Ancient Greek origin meaning "daughter of the sun".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Ileia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ileia today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ileia births was 1983 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ileia. 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 Ileia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1983
6 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1983 SSA rank
#9,452
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Ileia: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ileia 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 Ileia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0 | 11 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ileia
The name Ileia has its origins in ancient Greek culture and language, dating back to the classical period of Greece in the 5th century BC. It is derived from the Greek word "ileios," which means "kind" or "gentle." The name was often associated with the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene, who was revered for her serene and calming influence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ileia can be found in the works of the Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BC. He mentioned a woman named Ileia who was a priestess in the temple of Hera, the queen of the Greek gods, in Argos.
In Greek mythology, there is a reference to a nymph named Ileia who was a companion of the goddess Artemis, the huntress and protector of young girls. This mythological figure may have contributed to the popularity of the name in ancient Greece.
During the Byzantine era, which lasted from the 4th to the 15th century AD, the name Ileia was used by several notable figures. One example is Ileia of Antioch, a 4th-century Christian martyr who was executed for her faith during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian.
Another prominent figure with the name Ileia was Ileia Eudocia, a 5th-century Byzantine empress who was known for her literacy and patronage of the arts. She was born in 401 AD and ruled as the wife of Theodosius II from 421 to 460 AD.
In the Middle Ages, the name Ileia was less common, but it did appear in some historical records. One notable figure was Ileia of Semendria, a 14th-century Serbian noblewoman who was a prominent figure in the court of King Stefan Dušan.
During the Renaissance period, the name Ileia resurfaced, particularly in Italy. One example is Ileia Caraffa, who was born in Naples in 1476 and became a renowned poet and scholar in the court of King Ferdinand I of Naples.
In more recent centuries, the name Ileia has been less widely used, but there are still a few notable figures who have borne this name. One example is Ileia Korzhevskaya, a Russian mathematician and logician who lived from 1905 to 1983 and made significant contributions to the field of set theory.
People
Ileia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ileia 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
Ileia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ileia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ileia 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Ileia a common name?
We classify Ileia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ileia most popular?
The single biggest year for Ileia was 1983, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ileia is about 46 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 Ileia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ileia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ileia in the SSA data are female. 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 Ileia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ileia 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 Ileia 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 Americans are named Ileia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.