Fun Facts About the Name Illia
- 17 babies named Illia: U.S. records list 17 babies given the name Illia from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Illia Mean?
Illia is the Ukrainian form of the biblical name Elijah, from Hebrew Eliyahu (אֱלִיָּהוּ), meaning "my God is Yahweh." The Hebrew name joins el, "God," the shortened divine name Yah, and the first-person suffix -i, "my." Taken literally it is a statement of allegiance to the God of Israel rather than a description of a quality or a wish for the child.
The same Hebrew name passed into Greek as Elias (Ἠλίας) and into Latin as Elias, the source of the English forms Elijah and Elias. Ukrainian Illia (Ілля), Russian Ilya (Илья), and Belarusian Illia (Ілля) belong to the Slavic branch of that inheritance; the doubled l in the English spelling reflects the doubled л of the Ukrainian Cyrillic form, and the initial I stands for Ukrainian і.
Illia Name History & Origins
Elijah is a central prophet of the Hebrew Bible, the subject of the narratives in 1 Kings in which he defends the worship of Yahweh against the cult of Baal and is carried up to heaven in a whirlwind. Because of that prominence the name traveled with Christianity: it appears in the Greek New Testament as Elias, and it entered Slavic church use with the Christianization of Kyivan Rus' at the end of the tenth century, when biblical and saints' names were adopted alongside native Slavic names.
In the Eastern churches the prophet Elijah - Ilia in Ukrainian, Ilya in Russian - became a widely venerated saint, and Slavic folk tradition linked him to thunder, rain, and the harvest, with his feast day serving as a marker in the agricultural calendar. The name Ілля is the form recorded in Ukrainian church and literary usage; when Ukrainian is romanized under the national transliteration system, Ілля is rendered as Illia, which is how that particular English spelling arises.
How Popular is the Name Illia?
Illia 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 2023. Its best rank was #10,959 in 1980.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #14,073 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #14,152 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #10,959 | 5 | 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.
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with I
Short Girl Names That Start with I
How the Name Illia Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
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.
✦ Illia's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Illia's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.