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.

Infographic of Elijah name meaning, which is A Hebrew name meaning my God is Yahweh, Elijah has strong biblical ties.
Ask your friends & family about Elijah…

Elijah Name Popularity

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

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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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 Popularity Other Gender
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 Popularity Other Gender
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 Popularity Other Gender
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 Popularity Other Gender
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.

Siblings of Elijah

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

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
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

77 Comments

  1. I chose this name for several reasons. At the start of this year I made a decision to attend church and build a relationship with God. I began going to church every weekend and even bought myself a Bible with the goal to read it all. Around the time I found I was pregnant my pastor began a series at church called “The Days of Elijah” where for about 8 weeks every Sunday he’d tell the story of Elijah. This was the first time hearing that story and I absolutely loved it and who Elijah was in the Bible. It was about a week or two after that I found out I was pregnant and I made a promise go myself and God that if I had a boy I would name him after the prophet Elijah and give him over to the Lord.

    Reply

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

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  3. Strong name with class
    From the Bible

    Reply

  4. 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!

    Reply

  5. 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,

    Reply

  6. 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.

    Reply

  7. His name is biblical and he was a profit of God

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  8. 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

    ?

    Reply

  9. God

    Reply

  10. 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!

    Reply

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

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

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  13. 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.

    Reply

  14. 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.

    Reply

  15. 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

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  16. 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!

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

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  18. 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.

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

    Reply

  20. Elijah means Yaweh is my God, Elijah is also a name from the Bible and he also was a prophet.

    Reply

  21. I actually had twins, my first born is Zachariah, but that name is not in your database, I chose that name because I like it and it means God has remembered, and I truly feel remembered by God! With Elijah, I again like the name and also because it means the Lord is God.

    Reply

  22. Elijah means “the Lord is my God.” The name comes from the prophet in the Old Testament of the Bible. Eli could be a nickname.

    Reply

  23. Labor was very long, hard, and he was stubborn. Through out the pregnancy he was a strong kicker and I knew he would be a stubborn little man. I had to pick a strong name for him and when he finally made his entrance into the world. My midwife said he was a record she had never let a mom push for almost 6 hours. So Elijah Kingston was the strongest name on my list!

    Reply

  24. Daddy and I both loved it since the first time we mentioned it! Love the meaning and the handsome boy who holds it! Elijah is a Smiley and Naturally happy Child!

    Reply

  25. 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 ??

    Reply

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

    Reply

  27. 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

    Reply

  28. 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!

    Reply

  29. 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

    Reply

  30. I choose Elijah because it’s a Power full name

    Reply

  31. 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.

    Reply

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

    Reply

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

    Reply

  34. 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.

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  35. 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.

    Reply

  36. 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.

    Reply

  37. Biblical

    Reply

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

    Reply

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

    Reply

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

    Reply

  41. his name came from a tv show i love

    Reply

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

    Reply

    • 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

  43. hes a hamd full but i love him

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  44. He’s just perfect . A angel

    Reply

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

    Reply

  46. I loved the name Elijah

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  47. i love it so much becz it as a good meaning

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  48. 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.

    Reply

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

    Reply

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

    Reply

  51. 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.

    Reply

  52. 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!

    Reply

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

    Reply

  54. He such a happy baby

    Reply

  55. I am glad that he is here and safe

    Reply

  56. 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.

    Reply

  57. 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.

    Reply

  58. I love his name

    Reply

  59. 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.

    Reply

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

    Reply

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

    Reply

  62. 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.

    Reply

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

    Reply

  64. 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”

    Reply

  65. 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.

    Reply

  66. 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.

    Reply

  67. I’m very in love…

    Reply

  68. Love the biblical name

    Reply

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

    Reply

  70. 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

    Reply

  71. 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

    Reply

  72. 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 ?

    Reply

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

    Reply

  74. 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.

    Reply

  75. 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!

    Reply

  76. 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!!

    Reply

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