Elijah

#7,133 for girls in 2025, 15 births · #7 for boys in 2025, 11,111 births
Given to boys 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
2020 · 13,238 births
Debut · boys
100 births
In top 100 · boys
31 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
380,611
since 1880

Elijah over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201986peak #4, 2020boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#7,13315#711,111
2024#5,02126#811,238
2023#5,96020#511,523
2022#4,37832#512,094
2021#4,71928#412,845
2020#4,35831#413,238
2019#5,79821#513,436
2018#4,23733#713,020
2017#4,81128#813,449
2016#4,99027#913,982
2015#4,85328#1113,710
2014#4,26934#1113,886
2013#4,33633#1113,829
2012#4,95728#1313,914
2011#4,35333#1314,001
2010#3,36048#1813,920
2009#4,10737#2112,846
2008#3,64544#2213,241
2007#3,91840#3012,424
2006#3,91938#2912,055
2005#3,73039#3111,612
2004#2,26477#3111,714
2003#3,18746#3710,665
2002#3,46139#4110,053
2001#3,25642#458,339
2000#4,64925#527,472
1999#3,44336#606,596
1998#2,69150#665,662
1997#3,54732#745,089
1996#3,23736#814,818
1995#3,22035#933,977
1994#4,52122#1332,621
1993#6,62213#1701,882
1992#4,68621#2031,523
1991#5,65916#2221,345
1990#7,30311#2431,139
1989#6,16013#257991
1988#8,3918#266886
1987#7,3539#288746
1986#6,15611#289718
1985#7,5638#299681
1984#10,4225#310631
1983#6,21210#296671
1982#6,8889#280739
1981#8,1287#277750
1980#10,3925#279754
1979#9,0106#290696
1978#7,6497#320548
1977#9,6525#350504
1976#6,0489#450301
1975#491263
1974#472287
1973#537212
1972#551209
1971#587196
1970#596184
1969#659143
1968#680122
1967#644134
1966#626140
1965#672122
1964#618161
1963#640149
1962#583179
1961#562194
1960#580180
1959#575185
1958#532209
1957#522218
1956#533197
1955#477235
1954#5,7535#453254
1953#455248
1952#431263
1951#451223
1950#403282
1949#415267
1948#5,2435#427244
1947#399296
1946#426222
1945#387237
1944#399227
1943#416221
1942#387245
1941#374239
1940#404201
1939#371237
1938#407195
1937#3,8006#382210
1936#365221
1935#374210
1934#378209
1933#386198
1932#365231
1931#400198
1930#378226
1929#4,5705#367243
1928#365255
1927#336290
1926#3,8737#348276
1925#347283
1924#374261
1923#335302
1922#327311
1921#378257
1920#355277
1919#327295
1918#358264
1917#348256
1916#353232
1915#339243
1914#339187
1913#335149
1912#302142
1911#26794
1910#233101
1909#23190
1908#26564
1907#23376
1906#24265
1905#21281
1904#24260
1903#23958
1902#22166
1901#18379
1900#21086
1899#20564
1898#19776
1897#20965
1896#18687
1895#19475
1894#23554
1893#18977
1892#18485
1891#20957
1890#20464
1889#20861
1888#17188
1887#16875
1886#15293
1885#16282
1884#16385
1883#13392
1882#126111
1881#17269
1880#135100
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Elijah was already there! It came in at #135, and was given to 100 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1893–1895, when fewer than 78 boys a year got the name.

See more about Elijah
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 1 spot since 2024 (#8#7)
  • 3 spots since 2020 (#4#7)
  • 4 spots since 2015 (#11#7)
  • Biggest jump: 100 spots in 1977 (#450#350)
  • Biggest drop: 57 spots in 1963 (#583#640)
Rise & fade · boys
140 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 2020 at #4 (13,238 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 10 for 10 yrs
  • Top 10: 10 yrs · run 2016–2025
  • Top 100: 31 yrs · run 1995–2025
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 130
  • Highest: 1 in 130 boys born in 2020 were named Elijah (0.77%)
  • Latest: 1 in 154 boys born in 2025 (0.65%)
Era · boys
The 2010s
  • 36.0% of all boys named Elijah (137,147) were born in this decade
  • Comeback: #126 (1882) → #680 (1968) → #4 (2020)
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s856#126 (1882)#159
1890s704#184 (1892)#201
1900s725#183 (1901)#228
1910s1,963#233 (1910)#320
1920s2,755#327 (1922)#353
1930s2,135#365 (1932)#381
1940s2,399#374 (1941)#403
1950s2,314#403 (1950)#483
1960s1,524#562 (1961)#626
1970s3,400#290 (1979)#464
1980s7,567#257 (1989)#284
1990s34,652#60 (1999)#135
2000s110,421#21 (2009)#34
2010s137,147#5 (2019)#11
2020s72,049#4 (2020)#6

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Elijah in 1986

girls
#6,156
11 births · 1 in 155,959 girls
boys
#289
718 births · 1 in 2,565 boys

Top girls' names in 1986

  1. #1Jessica52,682
  2. #2Ashley49,671
  3. #3Amanda40,532
  4. #4Jennifer36,187
  5. #5Sarah28,163
  6. #6Stephanie22,651
  7. #7Nicole21,292
  8. #8Brittany20,313
  9. #9Heather19,790
  10. #10Elizabeth19,074
  11. #6,156Elijah11

Top boys' names in 1986

  1. #1Michael64,235
  2. #2Christopher56,693
  3. #3Matthew46,929
  4. #4Joshua37,542
  5. #5David37,150
  6. #6Daniel36,573
  7. #7James34,057
  8. #8Andrew33,858
  9. #9Robert31,350
  10. #10John30,209
  11. #289Elijah718
More about 1986

girls

1,715,547 girls got a published name in 1986; 1 in 155,959 of them was named Elijah, which outranked 52.0% of the 12,836 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 18.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elijah
  1. #5,757Yumi12
  2. #5,757Zuleika12
  3. #5,757Zulma12
  4. #6,156Elijah11
  5. #6,156Aaren11
  6. #6,156Aarica11
  7. #6,156Abeer11
  8. #6,612Adeena10
  9. #6,612Adella10
  10. #6,612Adrean10

Tied with 455 names at #6,156; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1985
Risers
  1. 9,719Kyrie#10,677#958
  2. 4,778Sable#5,678#900
  3. 2,034Eliana#2,484#450
  4. 1,497Shatara#2,484#987
  5. 1,374Cherrelle#2,253#879
Fallers
  1. 442Violeta#963#1,405
  2. 361Micaela#545#906
  3. 361Tasia#572#933
  4. 324Jo#925#1,249
  5. 306Tammie#987#1,293

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,841,515 boys got a published name in 1986; 1 in 2,565 of them was named Elijah, which outranked 96.3% of the 7,830 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Elijah
  1. #286Ralph728
  2. #287Wade727
  3. #288Johnathon726
  4. #289Elijah718
  5. #289Andy718
  6. #291Kelvin715
  7. #291Lorenzo715
  8. #293Nelson714

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1985
Risers
  1. 1,279Spenser#2,226#947
  2. 920Jayce#1,614#694
  3. 714Addison#1,228#514
  4. 649Payton#1,614#965
  5. 573Cordell#1,181#608
Fallers
  1. 409Ulises#877#1,286
  2. 365Eliot#934#1,299
  3. 322Jordy#998#1,320
  4. 313Trace#956#1,269
  5. 292Kennith#963#1,255

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1986