Elijah Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Boy Names Like Elijah

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Elijah Name Meaning

Long before he was conquering the name charts, Elijah was formed from the Hebrew elements of God, “el” and “yah.” A variant of the ancient Eliyyahu, Elijah is a deeply religious names, appearing in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

Elijah was rarely used in the United States up until the 2000s when he burst onto the scene and took the boy name charts by storm. His rich history and gentle sound left parents swooning, similar to Josiah and Judah. His inner “j” sound add an exotic flair as seen in Urijah and Alejandro but he’s familiar enough to fit in well with Isaiah and Matthew.

While Elijah is delicate on the ear, he exudes a silent confidence and strength that’s hard to find in a name. He isn’t an obvious tough guy name like Hunter or Archer, but he no doubt could be an action star or movie hero.

Elijah’s biblical roots are strong yet he’s not as obvious of a choice as Moses or Noah. In the Bible, Elijah is said to have ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire after working as a diligent messenger of God. Similarly, in Islam Elijah is a prophet, said to appear at the Last Judgment. In Judaism, Elijah is an archangel and prophet.

Variants include Eli, Elias, and Elisha.

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Elijah Name Popularity

How popular is the name Elijah? Here’s everything we know.

Chart
Raw Data
By State

Year	Rank	# Births	% Births
1910	215	74	0.021%
1911	240	75	0.0201%
1912	285	119	0.0236%
1913	322	117	0.0206%
1914	320	165	0.0237%
1915	336	208	0.0229%
1916	348	205	0.0212%
1917	336	231	0.0231%
1918	342	238	0.0222%
1919	314	271	0.0259%
1920	349	247	0.0222%
1921	356	240	0.021%
1922	311	296	0.0266%
1923	326	278	0.0248%
1924	353	242	0.0208%
1925	338	258	0.0228%
1926	336	255	0.0232%
1927	329	263	0.0238%
1928	346	231	0.0216%
1929	341	229	0.0221%
1930	363	207	0.0198%
1931	387	176	0.0178%
1932	348	212	0.0215%
1933	374	170	0.0182%
1934	369	184	0.019%
1935	365	182	0.0187%
1936	354	195	0.0202%
1937	366	179	0.0182%
1938	398	165	0.0161%
1939	359	206	0.0203%
1940	395	172	0.0162%
1941	371	205	0.0182%
1942	377	220	0.0174%
1943	404	192	0.0147%
1944	388	202	0.0163%
1945	387	198	0.0162%
1946	407	201	0.0136%
1947	391	269	0.0161%
1948	434	200	0.0125%
1949	410	231	0.0144%
1950	395	252	0.0157%
1951	446	186	0.011%
1952	408	247	0.0142%
1953	433	228	0.0129%
1954	435	230	0.0126%
1955	467	207	0.0113%
1956	524	163	0.0086%
1957	509	189	0.0098%
1958	532	170	0.009%
1959	566	139	0.0073%
1960	558	156	0.0082%
1961	548	163	0.0086%
1962	564	149	0.0081%
1963	619	116	0.0065%
1964	591	131	0.0074%
1965	675	77	0.0047%
1966	606	108	0.0069%
1967	601	109	0.0072%
1968	646	90	0.006%
1969	641	110	0.0071%
1970	588	144	0.009%
1971	564	160	0.0106%
1972	576	147	0.0108%
1973	541	163	0.0126%
1974	474	237	0.0182%
1975	486	227	0.0177%
1976	462	245	0.019%
1977	351	471	0.0349%
1978	322	508	0.0378%
1979	291	664	0.0471%
1980	275	731	0.05%
1981	276	724	0.0493%
1982	278	709	0.0474%
1983	294	643	0.0436%
1984	308	594	0.0399%
1985	294	656	0.0432%
1986	288	692	0.0458%
1987	287	717	0.047%
1988	267	856	0.0549%
1989	255	963	0.0597%
1990	243	1,114	0.0672%
1991	221	1,322	0.0811%
1992	202	1,500	0.094%
1993	169	1,876	0.1203%
1994	133	2,609	0.17%
1995	93	3,974	0.2637%
1996	81	4,807	0.321%
1997	74	5,086	0.3439%
1998	66	5,662	0.3783%
1999	60	6,595	0.4404%
2000	52	7,470	0.489%
2001	45	8,336	0.5532%
2002	41	10,050	0.6706%
2003	37	10,658	0.7006%
2004	31	11,707	0.7681%
2005	31	11,605	0.759%
2006	29	12,044	0.7692%
2007	30	12,405	0.7862%
2008	22	13,225	0.8557%
2009	22	12,825	0.8581%
2010	18	13,891	0.9639%
2011	13	13,960	0.9798%
2012	13	13,865	0.973%
2013	11	13,783	0.9681%
2014	11	13,813	0.9481%
2015	11	13,628	0.9366%
2016	9	13,867	0.9618%
2017	8	13,268	0.9506%
2018	7	12,886	0.9379%
2019	5	13,300	0.9825%
2020	4	12,861	1.0104%
2021	4	12,708	1.0396%
2022	4	11,817	0.8957%

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Maine (ME)

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Minnesota (MN)

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Vermont (VT)

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Wisconsin (WI)

West Virginia (WV)

Wyoming (WY)

Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Elijah

If you like Elijah, you’ll love these other names like Elijah.

What names are diminutives of Elijah?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Elijah sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Elijah, but shorter.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Eli	Ascension	Hebrew
Elia	The Lord is my God	Hebrew
Elie	God is my help; high; the Lord is my God	Hebrew
Ely	High	Hebrew
Lige	The Lord is my God	Hebrew

What names are variants of Elijah?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Elijah.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Elias	My God is Yahweh	Hebrew
Elihu	My God is He	Hebrew
Elija	The Lord is my God	Hebrew
Eliot	The Lord is my God	Hebrew
Eliyahu	The Lord is my God	Hebrew
Eljah	The Lord is my God	Hebrew
Elliot	My God is Yahweh	English
Ellis	My God is Yahweh	English
Elyot	The Lord is my God	Hebrew

Elyott	The Lord is my God	Hebrew

What names sound like Elijah?

If you like how Elijah sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Elijah.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Eleazar	God is my help	Hebrew
Eleazer	God is my help	Hebrew
Eliakim	God will establish	Hebrew
Eliam	God is my nation	Hebrew
Elihu	My God is He	Hebrew
Elisha	God is my salvation	Hebrew
Eljah	The Lord is my God	Hebrew
Ilias		Greek

What names are similar to Elijah?

Find a name that’s like Elijah, but just a little bit different.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Benjamin	A favorite son	Hebrew
David	Beloved	Hebrew
Ezekiel	God will strengthen	Hebrew
Isaiah	God is salvation	Hebrew
Jonah	Dove	Hebrew
Joshua	God is salvation	Hebrew

Judah	Praise	Hebrew
Levi	Joined together	Hebrew
Noah	To rest	Hebrew
Samuel	Name of God	Hebrew

Lists With Elijah

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Elijah.

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Travel down under on an epic adventure with the most popular Australian boy names. Check out this list of moniker mates, from timeless treasures to super surprises.
Jewish Boy Names to Honor Your Faith // 143 names

Jewish boy names are deeply devout yet stunningly handsome in sound and meaning. Explore our collection of these incredible monikers.
Nice Boy Names With a Boy-Next-Door Feel // 175 names

Charm and chivalry are found in excess with nice boy names. Browse our collection of these amazing names featuring boy-next-door appeal and sweet meanings.

Siblings of Elijah

Mamas with kids named Elijah also have kids with these names.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Kadyn	Fighter	American
Hannah	Grace	Hebrew
Grayson	Son of the steward	English
Joshua	God is salvation	Hebrew
Rebekah	To bind	Hebrew
Aurora	Goddess of dawn	Latin
Adler	Eagle	German
Samuel	Name of God	Hebrew
Arianna	Most holy	Latin
Rachell	Ewe, female sheep	Hebrew
Shalom	Peace	Hebrew

Promise	One's word	English
Mateo	Gift of God	Spanish
Jacob	Supplanter	Hebrew
Micah	Who is Like God?	Hebrew
Zacharias	The Lord recalled	Hebrew
Khloe	Green sprout	Greek
Martavious
Lorelei	“The enchantress,” in allusion to the siren of German legend whose singing on reefs in the Rhine lured sailors to their doom.	German
Harley	Hare meadow	English
Elianna	God has answered	Hebrew
Ethan	Enduring and strong	Hebrew
Anna	Gracious	Hebrew
Zachariah	The Lord recalled	Hebrew
Ezekiel	God will strengthen	Hebrew
Roselee

Fauve	Wild and uninhibited	French
Christopher	Bearing Christ	English
Aiden	Little fire	Irish
Josiah	God supports	Hebrew
Ian	God is gracious	Scottish
Leo	Lion	Latin
Lennox	With many elm trees	Scottish
Lanora	Compassion; light	Greek

Share Your Thoughts

76 Comments

Mayra Oct 21 at 8:19 pm

Named after his father. We wanted to create generational history and tradition. We both don’t know much about where our families come from.

Reply

Daina Aug 25 at 7:19 am

Strong name with class
From the Bible

Leandra Jun 25 at 4:51 am

For years now, long before I thought I would have children of my own, I have been drawn to the name Elijah. I knew that if I ever had a boy, that’s what I would like to name him. When I met my husband, while we were still dating, we discussed baby names we liked (for fun). I was shocked, and yet, not at the same time, when he told me his favorite boy name was Elijah. We both feel strongly that our son was speaking to us from the spirit realm long before we even met each other. He knew he would one day come into our lives and he knew exactly who he was to be! Elijah means “Yahweh is my God.” And our son’s middle name is Malachi which means “messenger of God.” We truly feel that he is our miracle and was bestowed upon us by God, and so his name feels very fitting!

Wendy Jun 22 at 9:58 pm

Strong Biblical name…pregnancy was spiritual significance for me. Goes nice with older sisters name Emma, liked this name for a long time, even though it is popular now, easy to say & spell,

Moriah Mar 15 at 8:36 am

First it’s a biblical name, which we love. Elijah was a mighty prophet who was used by God in remarkable ways!
But the real reason I love it is what the name means. Yahweh is my God. He is the rock we stand on, especially in the craziness of postpartum and new baby.

Anna Nov 6 at 8:33 am

His name is biblical and he was a profit of God

Moryni Jun 9 at 9:18 pm

I love the song DAYS OF ELIJAH (by Robin Mark) esp the one sung by American Marines.

At the same time, husband also came out with this name so

Yeahhh why not

Gina+Otero May 25 at 5:47 pm

God

Kym Mar 29 at 8:19 am

Honestly I’ve had the name Elijah on my heart for years. When my husband and I started going through names I kept being drawn back to Elijah. The meaning, the Lord is my God, is very powerful to us as well as we have been called to build our relationship with God over the past few years. We also love that we can shorten it and call him Eli and it’s not a common name in our area!

Christi Mar 16 at 11:16 am

Was in a wreck and in a coma for weeks, now I have a brain injury, he’s my blessing from God.q

Katelyn Feb 6 at 11:59 am

We wanted the name to come from the Bible and have spiritual meaning

Heather Feb 4 at 10:26 pm

My daughter, Elianna, who is now four has had the name Elijah picked out for the baby brother she has been praying for, and whom I just delivered this morning. Its kind of a sign to me while searching baby names on here that my son is to be named elijah. Hmm. So be it.

Isabel Jan 14 at 10:29 am

Is a biblical name which I love from the beginning of my pregnancy and I love the meaning of it which is always important to have a positive and good meaning to our kids name.

Jade Jan 12 at 1:34 pm

We picked 2 names for him Elijah and Asher, couldn’t choose between the two, so we decided to use both Elijah for his first name and Asher for his second

Catherine Jan 7 at 7:43 am

I combed through so many baby names and Elijah was one of the few that I kept coming back to. I like that it’s an old name and biblical and the meaning behind it. I also love the nickname Eli. I don’t like that it’s one of the most popular boy names right now, but I guess it’s popular for a reason!

Arainya Nov 12 at 9:49 pm

My son so strong and a fighter for what’s right As in Elijah in Bible

Britney Nov 1 at 8:21 am

We chose the name Elijah because it was a name his daddy wanted to name him. He had always liked the name and said if he had another boy he would be named Elijah.

Abbie Jul 29 at 11:48 am

Its biblical meaning and story of the prophet i always loved since I was 12 i chose the name

Verginia Nov 25 at 10:09 am

We wanted him to have a biblical name. We were “done” having kids, but God placed him in our lives and we couldn’t be more grateful. We had a list of biblical names we liked, one day we walked past the list and Elijah stood out so that’s what our hearts went with ??

Kirsten Oct 24 at 12:49 pm

I chose it because I’ve always loved that name. To me it’s a strong name. It can also be shortened to Eli.

Sherrick Jul 26 at 12:03 am

My family and I actually picked out his name
I love its biblical I needed help picking out baby names at the time in when his name came out a drawing after my family and I picked it out I knew it was right to name him Elijah

Lauren May 13 at 4:57 pm

We liked biblical names and Elijah was one of my husband’s favorite Bible characters. I’m really into name meanings and I love that it simply means “Yahweh is my God”. It also fit well with the middle name we had picked. One thing I don’t like too much is the nickname Eli. I don’t really mind when people use it, but I just don’t like Eli as a name too much, so I hope he keeps Elijah throughout his life and doesn’t shorten it!

Assata Apr 25 at 7:18 am

God actually named my son. I love his name and ever since he’s been born hes been living up to his name. Elijah means it is God, my child is so precious

Rose Mar 27 at 4:05 pm

I choose Elijah because it’s a Power full name

Emily A Straub Feb 25 at 5:22 pm

We chose Elijah because it’s a biblical name meaning ( The Lord is my God) and it’s not overly popular and a good name for any little boy.

Keyah Feb 15 at 10:42 am

I chose Elijah because Elijah is a prophet in the Bible. I appreciate the beauty in that.

Veronika Dec 17 at 9:05 am

We picked the name Elijah because it means YHWH is GOD.

Amanda Nov 24 at 2:03 am

I chose Elijah because it’s a book in the Bible. My husbands family is big on religion, and I wanted to keep it going.

Sarah Oct 29 at 7:39 am

We felt like the Lord wants to use our sons life as a prophetic witness so we named him after the great Old Testament prophet.

Santana Sep 20 at 4:32 am

Elijah is biblical , means Yaweh is my God.
We wanted a strong name for our LB and we really believe that your name defines your life and your character.

Tatyana Sep 19 at 10:22 am

Biblical

Angel Sep 5 at 10:18 am

He’s an amazing strong lil man for how early he was

Danielle Jul 26 at 12:25 pm

I choose his name because its a biblical name. I love my son name.

Amanda Jun 11 at 9:29 pm

I love everything about Elijah I just wish I didn’t always feel like I’m not doing sumn right

Shirlene Neal Jun 8 at 1:27 pm

his name came from a tv show i love

Melissa Jun 6 at 1:24 pm

Elijah is a family name. I like that I can call him Eli or EJ or Elijah

Heather Feb 4 at 10:34 pm

I also am thinking about Ej as a possible nickname for my newborn, Elijah. My daughter is Elianna, who I sometimes call Elli, or “L” ( El ) .

Reply

Shirlene Neal Jun 1 at 9:34 am

hes a hamd full but i love him

Jiji Apr 22 at 1:23 pm

He’s just perfect . A angel

Crystal Apr 19 at 11:01 pm

We chose the name Elijah because of its meaning “my God is Yahweh”, we like to pick a name based on its meaning.

Ashley Apr 7 at 1:30 pm

I loved the name Elijah

sydney Mar 8 at 2:01 pm

i love it so much becz it as a good meaning

Heather Feb 29 at 1:48 pm

I decided to go with the name Elijah because it’s a very strong, noble name. I can call him Eli for short (which is what the father wanted to name him) so we both got our way.

Ashley Feb 27 at 11:21 am

I tell my Husband if we have a baby boy you can picked he name out so he picked Elijah

Shirlene Feb 13 at 2:37 pm

Well Elijah I got from the show the originals from the bad ass brother Elijah he is my favorite character on the show

Sarah Feb 6 at 9:00 am

Elijah’s father has 2 girls and their names are from the Bible and we wanted a name from the Bible too for him but we didn’t want a common name so that’s how we picked Elijah. Elijah’s middle name is Bleu and that from his father’s side because they have a lot of Indian in them and one of his relatives name was Bleu and he has always liked Bleu as a name so that’s how we got Elijah’s first and middle name. My daughter’s name is Paige Elizabeth. I was having the hardest time trying to figure out a name for my daughter, one day I got a call from my grandmother and she told me something kept telling her that my daughter’s name is Paige and that I had to name my daughter Paige. Her middle name is my middle name, I wanted her to have part of my name so I gave her my middle name.

Mama Dec 28 at 2:54 am

My boyfriend picked Elijah’s name because he thought it was a unique name,and a name in the bible. We both decided that the name Elijah was perfect for our little bundle of joy. Elijah’s biggest fan is his big brother kayden who is now 5 years old everytime kayden talks to him Elijah has the biggest smile. I thank god every day for our two favorite little guys there my whole world and much more!

monica Dec 19 at 3:04 pm

I’ve always loved biblical names for my boys, so Elijah Matthew was the perfect match for me.

Elijah Dec 9 at 8:42 pm

He such a happy baby

Lamar Dec 6 at 9:27 am

I am glad that he is here and safe

Carolyn Nov 12 at 4:00 pm

We wanted a biblical name as our faith is very important in our family life. Our last name sounds best with A or E names. We picked the middle name Emeric based on the baby’s birth date, which is St. Emeric’s saints day. Also, St. Gerard was a tutor to St. Emeric, and Gerard was the middle name we had for our first miscarried baby. This special connection solidified our choice for a name. We felt like having a unique middle name helped balance out the popular Elijah first name and felt complete for our family. We didn’t have a middle name picked out until he was born.

Amy Oct 21 at 12:58 pm

I just liked the name. I liked that it was a name from the Bible, a prophet. I like that I can shorten the name to Eli.

Samantha Oct 2 at 7:36 am

I love his name

Livia Sep 7 at 11:09 pm

I chose the name Elijah because it means (to me) “noble”.
I’ve loved the name for years, I always knew that if I had a son then that would be his name, and when I found out I was having a boy, we chose the name Elijah.

Jewell Aug 23 at 2:28 am

I named him after my deceased grandfather which I loved very much. ?

Jennifer Parsons Aug 16 at 11:20 am

Chose the name Elijah after Elijah in the Bible. Elijah in the Bible did alot og good things and was a good person.

Ashonda Aug 13 at 2:11 pm

Elijah is a very strong biblical name. It means my GOD is always with me. I wanted my son to understand the power GOD has over his life and when against all odds who will always be with him.

Taleah Aug 2 at 10:13 am

Well His Dads Name is Eli , I Really Didnt Want Him To Be A Jr So We Named Him Elijah

Becca Jul 25 at 9:37 am

Elijah was a great profit and brought back someone from the dead with the lords help and I feel having Elijah has brought me back from “death”

Lisa Jul 15 at 11:18 am

I have always liked the name Elijah and boy names that start with the letter E. I have 5 boys and 2 have names that start with E.

rose Jul 14 at 11:00 am

First it was from the Bible which means Yahweh is Lord.
Second was from the history of Elijah’s role in the bible.
And last was, its the second teddy bear’s name given by my husband during our anniversary.

Natosha Jun 28 at 10:18 am

I’m very in love…

Sherry Jun 25 at 1:10 pm

Love the biblical name

Natosha Jun 24 at 11:15 am

I have two children Imani is 6 and Elijah was born June 6,2019.

LeeAndra Jun 17 at 10:20 am

Honestly I was watching the book of eli and eli was stuck in my head. I had to fight with his father he wanted a jr and i didnt so we came to an agreement and that’s how we got Elijah. I love his name it fits him perfectly. Elijah is a sweet funny strong little person with a big personality and super smart I’m glad hes here

Elizabeth Jun 8 at 9:34 pm

He is named after a family friend of ours and his middle name of Leroy is from his grandfather who passed away from brain cancer a year before Elijah was born

Orialis Brooks Jun 8 at 11:13 am

It was always just a name from the Bible I wanted to name my second son as my first was a Junior. I didn’t think he would come along and 11 years later here is, my king Elijah ?

Bimpe Jun 8 at 8:08 am

I choose the name through the inspiration of God. I don’t have any regret for choosing the name.

Daniel-Jennifer Jun 7 at 3:15 pm

Our daughter, Hannah, 7, named after Hannah in the Bible, liked the name Elijah and it was Biblical too. It also ends with ah like Hannah’s name does.

Shalimar Apr 13 at 8:55 pm

Elijah was my 3rd child, but only boy. Again wanted that Biblical name. With his 2 sisters, we had always said we would name them Noah if they had been a boy. When I got pregnant with my 3rd, I just felt that was not going to be the case. I asked my husband if he liked Elijah over Noah, and without hesitation, he agreed. I absolutely love the story of Elijah in the Bible. A co-worker was speaking at chapel (private school where I used to work) one day, and she spoke on Elijah. I felt that was confirmation if God was going to bless us with a boy, and He did. I could not have imagined it any other way!

Khyrstin Apr 13 at 7:16 pm

We had a hard time choosing a boys name! We decided on 3 that we liked- Elijah, Avery and James then waited to meet baby boy before choosing the final name. Once we spent a day with our boy we knew Elijah was the right fit! Sometimes it helps to meet baby to get a feel for who he/she is!!

Elijah