The baby name Elijah keeps climbing, a Biblical powerhouse right behind Noah, a name that blends effortless cool with a spot in the US Top 100.
Thanks to Saranel for suggesting her son’s name as our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME ELIJAH MEAN?
Elijah comes from the Hebrew name Eliyyahu – my God is Yahweh.
The element el appears in many a popular boys’ name from the Bible: Michael, Gabriel, and Samuel all end with -el. Eliana starts with the syllable.
Other names, like Isaiah and Hezekiah, share the yah or yahu element.
International forms abound: we hear Elias, Elia, Ilya, and Elian in the US, too. Surname forms include Elliot and Ellis.
WHO WAS ELIJAH?
But back to the original.
According to the Bible, Elijah lived in Israel during the reign of King Ahab, where he performed miracles. He even raised the dead. For his efforts, he was rewarded by riding up to heaven in a chariot of fire. Later, in the New Testament, both Jesus and John the Baptist are compared to the ancient prophet. He even makes a cameo, along with Moses, later in the story.
One consistent theme? He always insists on the worship of the true God.
He features in many cultural traditions, too. At Passover, Jewish families leave a place set for him at the table.
Elijah features in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
He became associated with several per-Christian deities, or replaced them entirely. Elijah borrowed parts of stories associated with storms, thunder, and lightning in some Slavic traditions. Elsewhere in Europe, he seemingly replaced sun god Helios. Churches and monasteries near mountaintops tend to be associated with Elijah – just like they were once associated with Zeus.
WHO IS THE MOST FAMOUS ELIJAH NOW?
Cher gave the name to her son with musician Gregg Allman way back in 1976. He’s now a musician, too.
More recently, there’s actor Elijah Wood, best known for his role as Frodo in The Lord of the Rings movies.
Other famous figures include:
- A very long list of early American bearers of the name includes Elijah Craig, sometimes credited with inventing bourbon. A popular brand still bears his name.
- Elijah Abel, one of the earliest African American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
- The cast of 2007’s Hairspray included actor, dancer, and singer Elijah Kelley.
More athletes and elected officials share the name.
On the fictional side, Isaac Asimov used the name for a detective in his Robots series. And The Vampire Diaries, plus spin-off The Originals, includes a major character, part of the Mikaelson family, who answers to the name, too. Given the name’s long history of use, it’s plausible that a long-lived vampire would answer to the name, or that the baby name Elijah would remain in use into Asimov’s distant future.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ELIJAH?
The first version of this post, from 2012, asked if the baby name Elijah could crack the Top Ten?
That answer turned out to be yes. Elijah debuted in the US Top 100 way back in 1995. By 2016, the name reached #9. By 2017, it stood at #8.
And as of 2024? The baby name Elijah stands at #8, down from an all-time high of #4 just a few years ago.
It’s worth noting that the baby name Elijah has always charted somewhere in the Top 1000.
ANCIENT MEETS MODERN
The baby name Elijah blends the best of the ancient world and modern appeal.
As a baby’s name, it’s both recognizable as an old school Biblical boy, a name rich with history and meaning. But it fits with softer, more elaborate names for our sons, too.
Bob, Tom, and Mike are now great-grandparents. Oliver and Sebastian dominate playgrounds. Elijah fits in perfectly with this new generation.
Across gender lines, we love a great El- name: Ellie, Eliana, and Eloise for girls; Eli, Elias, and Elijah for boys – to name just a few.
For Old Testament strength combined with modern sound, the baby name Elijah feels like a winning choice for a son today.
Would you consider the baby name Elijah for a son?
This post was published originally on February 23, 2012. It was revised substantially and re-posted on July 25, 2018; August 24, 2021; and January 20, 2026.
I adore the name Elijah, but could never use it because our last name is practically an anagram of it, and the close repetition of those soft sounds comes out sounding very garbled. Would love it on anyone else.
LOVE this name! Who cares if it is in the top twenty! I know plenty of Michaels and Jacks, and none of them seem to be fazed by the fact there a million others out there!
I love Biblical names and I adore Elijah. I love his story, how important he is to all 3 monotheistic faiths, and especially his meaning. I don’t know if it’s because of the Boardwalk Empire connection but I prefer Elias.
I think I’ve said this before but I know two sets of brothers named Elijah and Isaiah, one group lives just down the street from me (8 and 10 year olds I think). I love it!
I know a sub set of brothers named Elijah Benjamin, Isaiah Ephraim and Samuel Levi. I like the biblical power house names!
Elijah is not my style. It’s to do with the ending – whether it is pronounced zhah or jah it just doesn’t appeal to my ears. I do very much like the nn Eli though and Elias would definitely be my personal pick over Elijah. I’m struck by the similarity of Helios and Elias and the co-mingling of religious beliefs. (I really like the unifying nature of Elijah – being an important figure in so many religious traditions and not just associated with one in particular).
I have the same issue. I would probably just use Eli.
There are approximately a bajillion Elijah’s near and around my neighborhood. What a pity that it took off like it did and likely caught a lot of the parents by suprise.
We named our son Elijah (he was born in July 2010) because we LOVED the name and neither my husband nor I had never, ever come across another Elijah in our lives. (Which was a big deal because Biblical names are really, really popular in our circles of friends and acquaintances — many of whom have large families.) And then, afterwards, we learned that our son’s name was in the Top 20 and couldn’t believe it! We still love the name, but it was a bit saddening to realize that he’s not as original as we thought it was. However, I’ve only come across a couple other Elijahs since then.
I like Elijah — I always have. Sadly, I’m not alone in this preference, which means that there will be no Elijah in this family!
I like its sound, but its popularity is a killer for me. I much prefer Elisha these days, super similar, but nowhere near as popular.
And yes, Elijah is definitely heading for the top10, if not this year, next year for sure.