Elijah

i-LIE-zhuh
Hebrew
"Yahweh is God"

Elijah Origin and Meaning

The name Elijah is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh is God".

The Top 10 boys' name Elijah is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, composed of the elements ’el and yah, both of which refer to God. In the Old Testament, Elijah was the prophet who went to heaven in a chariot of fire, a story sure to inspire any young Elijah.

Like many biblical patriarch names, Elijah was on a long downward slide from the 19th century until the late 1960s, when it reversed course and headed uphill. Elijah was rejuvenated when Cher and Greg Allman bestowed it on their son Elijah Blue in 1976, and got another shot of youth serum via young actor Elijah Wood.

Among other celebrities who have chosen Elijah for their boys are Donnie Wahlberg, James Spader, Tracy Nelson, Wynonna Judd and Bono (who followed it with middle names Bob Patricus Guggi G.).

Elijah figures in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions. There are numerous songs containing the name, and Elijah is also a character in many films and books—including Charles Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit.

Elias is the related, Greek variation of Elijah, also quite popular. Eli is a separate, unrelated name, though sometimes used as a short form of both Elijah and Elias.

# 5 in the US

Elijah Rank in US Top 1000

# 68 on Nameberry

Elijah Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Elijah Popularity

Famous People Named Elijah

  • Elijah
    of the sons of Harim (Ezra 10:21)
  • Elijah Eugene Cummings
    U.S. Congressman from Maryland
  • Elijah Jordan Wood
    American actor
  • Elijah Kelley
    American actor and singer
  • Elijah Samuel Burke
    American pro wrestler
  • Elijah Brigham
    U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts
  • Elijah Parish Lovejoy
    American journalist and abolitionist
  • Elijah Muhammad (born Elijah Robert Poole)
    American leader of the Nation of Islam
  • Elijah Hunt Mills
    U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
  • Elijah Adams Morse
    U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts
  • Elijah McCoy
    Canadian,American inventor
  • Elijah Jones
    American YouTube singer of duo Kinlee and Elijah
  • Elijah Eugene Pitts
    American NFL football player
  • Elijah Levi "Eli" Dale
    YouTuber from The Dale Tribe family vloggers
  • Elijah Blue Allman (b. 1976)
    son of singers Cher and Gregg Allman
  • Elijah Spader (b. 1992)
    son of actor James Spader
  • Elijah Garcia (b. 1992)
    son of singer Tiffany Darwish and Bulmaro Garcia
  • Elijah Judd (b. 1994)
    son of singer Wynonna Judd
  • Elijah Croce (b. 1997)
    son of singer A.J. Croce; grandson of singer Jim Croce
  • Elijah Holyfield (b. 1998)
    son of boxer Evander Holyfield
  • Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Hewson (b. 1999)
    son of singer Bono of U2
  • Elijah Diamond (b. 2000)
    son of actress Sheryl Lee and Jesse Diamond; grandson of singer Neil Diamond
  • Elijah Wright (b. 2001)
    son of actors Jeffrey Wright and Carmen Ejogo
  • Elijah Nelson Clark (b. 2001)
    son of actress Tracy Nelson and Chris Clark
  • Elijah Hendrix Wahlberg (b. 2001)
    son of actor/singer Donnie Wahlberg
  • Elijah Atkins (b. 2002)
    son of singer Rodney Atkins
  • Elijah Wolf O'Connell (b. 2002)
    son of model Amanda Swafford and Tobias O'Connell
  • Elijah Jeramiah Stotijn (b. 2003)
    son of singers Anouk and Remon Stotijn
  • Elijah Alexander
    Knox (b. 2004), son of actor/comedian Flex Alexander and singer Shanice Wilson
  • Elijah Burress (b. 2006)
    son of NFL player Plaxico Burress
  • Elijah Harrison (b. 2007)
    son of NFL player Damon Harrison
  • Elijah Pineda Palanca (b. 2007)
    son of actors Bernard Palanca and Meryll Soriano
  • Elijah Makai Solomon (b. 2009)
    eldest son of octomom Nadya Suleman
  • Elijah Dylan Westbrook (b. 2010)
    son of musicians Karen Fairchild and Jim Westbrook of band Little Big Town
  • Elijah Porter (b. 2010)
    son of reality TV personality Alex Nation ("The Bachelor Australia") and Joel Porter
  • Elijah Joseph Underwood (b. 2011)
    son of TV presenters Angellica Bell and Michael Underwood
  • Elijah Gestede (b. 2012)
    son of footballer Rudy Gestede
  • Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish
    John (b. 2013), son of singer Elton John and David Furnish
  • Elijah Craig Walker (b. 2013)
    son of singer Clay Walker
  • Elijah Beckwith (b. 2013)
    son of actress Heather Morris
  • Elijah Anderson (b. 2013)
    son of Australian rules footballer Jed Anderson
  • Elijah Connor Brown (b. 2019)
    son of reality TV personalities Noah and Rhain Brown of "Alaskan Bush People"

Elijah in Pop Culture

  • Elijah Mikaleson
    Character on TV's 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'The Originals'
  • Elijah Springfield
    character in Frank Peretti's "Veritas Project"
  • Elijah "Mr. Glass" Price
    character in "Unbreakable"
  • Elijah Leslie "Eli" Pepperjack
    character in the Netflix series "Trollhunters"
  • "Elijah Rock
    " spiritual song
  • "Elijah
    " song by Matthew and the Atlas