Ilias
A masculine name of Greek origin that means "God's anointed".
Name Census estimates that about 949 living Americans carry the first name Ilias. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ilias today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ilias births was 2024 (66 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ilias. 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
949
~ 1 in 361,174 Americans
Peak year
2024
66 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,190
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Ilias: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ilias from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 396 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ilias remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ilias 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 Ilias during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ilias' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Ilias, while Illinois, Colorado, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 42 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ilias
The name Ilias has its origins in the Greek language, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "Helios," which means "sun." This connection to the sun deity suggests that the name may have been given to individuals in honor of this important celestial body in Greek mythology.
One of the earliest and most famous references to the name Ilias can be found in Homer's epic poem, the Iliad, written around the 8th century BC. In this work, Ilias is mentioned as an epithet of the city of Troy, suggesting a connection between the name and the legendary Trojan War.
The earliest recorded individual with the name Ilias appears to be Ilias of Crete, a Greek mathematician and engineer who lived in the 6th century BC. He is credited with inventing the first geometric dissection problem, which involved cutting a given geometric shape into pieces and rearranging them to form a different shape.
Another notable figure bearing the name Ilias was Ilias the Athonite, a 10th-century Byzantine monk and theologian. He played a significant role in the development of the monastic tradition on Mount Athos, a peninsula in northern Greece renowned for its monasteries.
In the 16th century, Ilias Mauromatis was a Greek scholar and humanist who lived in Venice. He was known for his translations of ancient Greek texts and his contributions to the dissemination of Greek literature during the Renaissance.
During the 19th century, Ilias Voulgaris was a Greek scholar and philosopher who played a crucial role in the Greek Enlightenment. He is remembered for his efforts to modernize education and promote the study of ancient Greek philosophy.
Ilias Tsirimokos, born in 1907 and died in 1968, was a renowned Greek novelist and playwright. His works explored themes of social injustice and the struggles of the working class, earning him a prominent place in modern Greek literature.
While the name Ilias has its roots in ancient Greece, it has been adopted and used in various cultures throughout history, reflecting the enduring influence of Greek civilization and mythology.
People
Ilias + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ilias 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
Ilias: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ilias?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 949 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ilias 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 361,174 US residents.
Is Ilias a common name?
We classify Ilias as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 959 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ilias most popular?
The single biggest year for Ilias was 2024, when 66 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ilias is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ilias a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ilias 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.