Boys' name · peaked in 2020
Elijah name popularity since 1925
376,259 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Elijah. Half of them were born in 2011 or earlier, so the typical Elijah is about 15 years old in 2026. Elijah peaked in 2020 as the #4 name for boys, and it ranked #7 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 376,259
- Named Elijah, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #7
- for boys in 2025 (11,111 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% boys
- 1,304 girls · 374,955 boys
- Most popular in
- Nevada
- 2.19× its national share
Peak year is the year Elijah made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Elijah births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 2011. Measured as a share of all babies, Elijah peaked in 2020.
- Fastest rise: Between 1991 and 1996, Elijah became 3.8× more common, from 1 in 1,500 baby boys to 1 in 393.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Elijah's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Elijah.
Decade by decade
Babies named Elijah in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 12 | 1,347 | – |
| 1930s | 6 | 2,135 | #374 |
| 1940s | 5 | 2,399 | #388 |
| 1950s | 5 | 2,314 | #478 |
| 1960s | 0 | 1,524 | #672 |
| 1970s | 27 | 3,400 | #491 |
| 1980s | 85 | 7,567 | #299 |
| 1990s | 272 | 34,652 | #93 |
| 2000s | 427 | 110,421 | #31 |
| 2010s | 313 | 137,147 | #11 |
| 2020–25 | 152 | 72,049 | #7 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
45.2% of babies named Elijah from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Elijah is most popular
The index compares Elijah's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Elijah.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 2.19× | 2,945 |
| Alaska | 1.85× | 1,036 |
| Florida | 1.73× | 23,551 |
| New Mexico | 1.65× | 3,439 |
| Hawaii | 1.62× | 1,909 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Elijah and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Elijah (this page) | 374,955 | 2020 |
| Elyjah | 1,961 | 2012 |
| Elijiah | 1,151 | 2010 |
| Elija | 1,098 | 1889 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Elijah's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Elijah.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Elijah (2020).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data