Fun Facts About the Name Eliya
- More than 1 thousand babies named Eliya: U.S. records list 1,031 babies given the name Eliya from 1880 through 2025. Even 196 boys received the name Eliya - about 1 boy for every 4 girls.
What Does the Name Eliya Mean?
Eliya is a Hebrew name meaning "My God is Yahweh." It is the shorter of the two biblical forms of Elijah; the longer is Eliyahu (אֵלִיָּהוּ), and both are built from the same elements: el (אֵל), "god"; Yah (יָה), a short form of the divine name Yahweh; and the first-person possessive ending -i, "my." Together the pieces form a sentence-name, "My God is Yah(weh)," a pattern found in other Hebrew names such as Eliezer ("My God is help"). A less common reading treats the vowel after el as a connecting element rather than a possessive, giving "Yah is God"; the possessive reading is the usual one.
Eliya Name History & Origins
The prophet of the books of Kings is written Eliyahu (אֵלִיָּהוּ) in most passages, while the shorter Eliya (אֵלִיָּה) appears in later books, including Chronicles and Malachi. That shorter form became the usual one in rabbinic Hebrew and in Aramaic, where the prophet is called Eliya.
Greek-speaking Jews and Christians rendered the name as Ἠλίας (Elias), the form used in the New Testament and carried into Latin and most European languages. From the same Greek tradition come later forms such as Russian Ilya (Илья) and Georgian Elia (ელია). In the Christian Middle East the name kept a shape closer to the Hebrew and Aramaic: Arabic-speaking Christians use Ilyā (إيليا), and Syriac Christians use Elyā (ܐܠܝܐ). These are the traditions through which the spelling "Eliya" most often reaches English. Arabic also has the related Quranic form Ilyās (إلياس), which is distinct from the Christian Arabic Ilyā. Eliya is also used as a given name in modern Hebrew, alongside Eliyahu.
How Popular is the Name Eliya?
Eliya has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2012. Its best rank was #3,542 in 2012.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,003 | 36 | 0.0022% |
| 2024 | #4,297 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 2023 | #4,213 | 34 | 0.0021% |
| 2022 | #3,551 | 44 | 0.0027% |
| 2021 | #3,564 | 43 | 0.0026% |
| 2020 | #4,377 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 2019 | #4,683 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2018 | #4,382 | 32 | 0.0019% |
| 2017 | #6,111 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #4,764 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2015 | #3,719 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 2014 | #5,852 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2013 | #4,356 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2012 | #3,542 | 45 | 0.0026% |
| 2011 | #3,563 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 2010 | #4,222 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2009 | #4,395 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2008 | #5,816 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2007 | #5,133 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2006 | #8,381 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #6,920 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #5,105 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2003 | #5,881 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #5,133 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2001 | #4,733 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2000 | #6,286 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #4,486 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1998 | #7,228 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1997 | #11,191 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #14,167 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #10,925 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,266 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2024 | #8,489 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #7,011 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #6,934 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #7,237 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #6,391 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #7,299 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2018 | #5,158 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2017 | #11,158 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #11,121 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #8,240 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2014 | #8,335 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2013 | #12,689 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #10,022 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #7,657 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #8,328 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #8,505 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #8,502 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #10,083 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #9,741 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Eliya Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are fine when in harmony but changeable when in discord, because many of your best qualities are then reversed. You are entertaining but may be impulsive. Freedom is a necessity, and you find it difficult to settle down. Your versatility results in many changes, and often brings travel. Your fine intellect is capable of high honors if applied seriously. You are capable of inspired thinking applied to material things. You can be restless, changeable, and very sexy. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Eliya's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Eliya's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.