Fun Facts About the Name Ilyas
- More than 2 thousand babies named Ilyas: U.S. records list 2,196 babies given the name Ilyas from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ilyas Mean?
Ilyas is the Arabic form of the Hebrew name Eliyahu, known in English as Elijah. The Hebrew name joins ʾEl (אֵל), "God," with Yahu (יָהוּ), a shortened form of the divine name YHWH, plus the possessive ending -i, "my." Read literally, it means "my God is Yahweh," a sense often restated more generally as "the Lord is my God."
The Arabic form did not come straight from Hebrew. It reflects the Greek Elias (Ἠλίας), the form of the prophet's name used in the Greek Old Testament and the New Testament, which then passed through Aramaic/Syriac before reaching Arabic. The final -s and the reshaped vowels are features of that Greek stage. Arabic Ilyās (إلياس) therefore keeps the meaning of Elijah while showing a different route into the language.
Ilyas Name History & Origins
The Hebrew prophet Elijah is described in the books of Kings as a ninth-century BCE figure in the northern kingdom of Israel who opposed the worship of Baal and was carried up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2). The Greek form Elias was used for him in the Septuagint and in the New Testament, and this Greek form was carried into Aramaic/Syriac and then into Arabic.
Arabic Ilyās (إلياس) appears in the Quran as a prophet: he is named among the prophets in Surah al-Anʿām (6:85), and Surah al-Ṣāffāt (37:123 - 132) shows him rebuking his people for worshiping Baʿl. Muslim tradition identifies this Ilyas with the biblical Elijah. The Quranic form of the name became common as a personal name in the Arabic-speaking world, and the shorter Arabic form Ilyā (إليا) also exists.
With the spread of Islam the name moved into other languages, giving Turkish İlyas, Persian Elyās, and forms used in Urdu, Central Asia, the Balkans, and Southeast Asia. In Islamic popular tradition Ilyas is sometimes paired with al-Khidr, with the two said to divide their care between land and sea; that pairing belongs to folk storytelling rather than to the Quran.
How Popular is the Name Ilyas?
Ilyas 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 2025. Its best rank was #1,075 in 2025.
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 | #1,075 | 200 | 0.0117% |
| 2024 | #1,252 | 158 | 0.0092% |
| 2023 | #1,253 | 154 | 0.0090% |
| 2022 | #1,483 | 122 | 0.0070% |
| 2021 | #1,679 | 98 | 0.0056% |
| 2020 | #1,477 | 116 | 0.0067% |
| 2019 | #1,524 | 111 | 0.0062% |
| 2018 | #1,556 | 108 | 0.0059% |
| 2017 | #1,527 | 108 | 0.0058% |
| 2016 | #1,611 | 100 | 0.0053% |
| 2015 | #1,772 | 86 | 0.0045% |
| 2014 | #1,675 | 92 | 0.0048% |
| 2013 | #1,699 | 87 | 0.0046% |
| 2012 | #1,764 | 85 | 0.0045% |
| 2011 | #1,890 | 74 | 0.0039% |
| 2010 | #2,362 | 54 | 0.0028% |
| 2009 | #2,237 | 59 | 0.0030% |
| 2008 | #2,445 | 52 | 0.0025% |
| 2007 | #2,777 | 43 | 0.0021% |
| 2006 | #2,948 | 38 | 0.0018% |
| 2005 | #2,729 | 40 | 0.0020% |
| 2004 | #2,764 | 38 | 0.0019% |
| 2003 | #2,694 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 2002 | #3,391 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 2001 | #3,549 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2000 | #4,465 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #6,732 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #8,906 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #8,571 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #6,182 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #6,107 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #6,615 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #7,412 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #5,871 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #5,407 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #5,954 | 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.
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How the Name Ilyas 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.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Ilyas's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ilyas's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.