Elijah
Pronounced EH0 L AY1 JH AH0 (ARPABET)
- 3 syllables
- Peaked 2011
- 145 years in use
- Biblical
- 1 spelling
How popular is Elijah?
Elijah is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 371,711 children — the 99th most common boys' name on record.
Its use has been broadly flat across the past two decades. Its best single year was 2011, when 14,028 children were given it.
Ellijah is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Elijah and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Ellijah
Nicknames
Common short forms: Eli.
Characteristics
- Biblical (Person)
- 3 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- EH0 L AY1 JH AH0 · IY0 L AY1 JH AH0
- Stress pattern:
- 010 · 010
- Syllables:
- 3
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Elijah
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Elijah
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Elijah?
- Elijah ranks 99th among boys' names in US records, with 371,711 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 128,764.
- Is Elijah a unisex name?
- No. Elijah is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Elijah most popular?
- 2011, when 14,028 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- What are common nicknames for Elijah?
- Eli. These are recorded as separate names in their own right, so each has its own page and its own popularity curve.
- How else is Elijah spelled?
- Ellijah. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.