Declining since 2011, #2,539 for boys today.
Popularity of Elyjah since 1994
Babies named Elyjah per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 132 |
| 2000s | 695 |
| 2010s | 776 |
| 2020s | 358 |
Meaning & origin
Elyjah is a modern respelling of Elijah that emerged in the 1990s, with its first recorded U.S. birth in 1994. The name has seen a trajectory of rising then falling popularity: it peaked in 2012 at its highest usage, and has since been on a gradual decline. As of 2025, it ranks 2539th nationally, with approximately 1 in 32,848 newborn boys named Elyjah. The variant is most common in California and Texas, reflecting broader trends in creative biblical name spellings. While never reaching the top tier, Elyjah has maintained a consistent presence in the bottom half of the top 3000 names over the past two decades.
Elyjah is a modern English respelling of Elijah, from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, meaning 'my God is Yahweh.' The name Elijah appears in the Hebrew Bible as a prophet. The variant spelling Elyjah emerged in the late 20th century as part of a trend of creative respellings of biblical names, particularly in the United States.
Where Elyjah is most popular
Births per 100,000 boys by state, 2025. The lightest shade means too few recorded births.
“Elyjah” around the world
Where Elyjah lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
20
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Ely, Eli
Sibling names for Elyjah
Names that share Elyjah's style, for a brother or sister.
