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 [ 3 syll. e-li-jah, el-ij-ah ] The boy name Elijah is pronounced as ehLAYJHah or iyLAYJHah KEY. Elijah is used predominantly in the English language and it is derived from Hebrew origins. The name's meaning is my God is Yahweh. Biblical name derived from the elements 'el' meaning God, powerful ; 'yahweh' name of God. Elias (Latin) and Eliyahu (Hebrew) are old forms of Elijah. The name was borne by an important prophet in the Bible who fought against the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel; his exploits were recounted in the two Books of Kings in the Old Testament which climaxed with him riding a chariot of fire into heaven. In the New Testament, he was referred to by the Greek or Latin form Elias. Elijah was also used as an alternative name by John the Baptist. As a result of the vivid biblical accounts of the prophet and the subsequent medieval tales about him, the names Elijah and Elias were commonly used in the medieval period. Various early saints bore the name, typically in the form Elias. Both forms of the name were later revived by the English Puritans in the 17th century. In the last few decades, Elijah has been used mainly by Black Muslims in the USA, and more recently, it has been made better known by the actor Elijah Wood (1981-). The name Eliana (Hebrew) is the female version of Elijah. The name Elijah is used to a great extent; it has 26 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants of Elijah used in English include Elias (used in Finnish, German, Greek, Hungarian, Portuguese, Scandinavian, Czech, Dutch, Spanish, and Yiddish too), Elis (used in Scandinavian too), and Ellis (used in Welsh too). The short form Eli (used in Hebrew too), and the pet form Lige are other English variants. Foreign variants of Elijah include Eelia (Russian), Eelis (Finnish), Elia (Dutch, German, Italian, and Zuni), Eliano (Italian), Eliasz (Polish), Eliyahu (Hebrew), Elías (Spanish), Eljas (Finnish), Eljasz (Polish), Elye (Yiddish), Éliás (Hungarian), Élie (French), Ilia (Russian), Ilija (Slavic), Iliya (Slavic), Ilja (Russian), Illés (Hungarian), Ilya (Russian and Czech), and Ilyas (Arabic). Specific foreign forms include the pet form Elie (French), and the variant spelling Elija (German). See also the related forms, Elliot (English) and Jahwe (German). Elijah is very popular as a baby name for boys, and it is also viewed as trendy. The name's popularity has been rising since the 1960s. At the recent peak of its usage in 2008, 0.604% of baby boys were given the name Elijah. It ranked at #22 then. Out of all boy names in its group, Elijah was the most popular in 2008. Elijah was thrice as popular as the next ranked name, Eli (English, Hebrew, and Yiddish), in that year. Baby names that sound like Elijah include Eelusha (Russian), Eleisha (Hebrew), Elija (German and Yiddish), Elischa (German), Eliseo (Italian and Spanish), Elisha (English and Hebrew), Ailesh (Indian), Ilias (Greek), Ilija (Slavic), Eelis (Finnish), Elek (Hungarian and Polish), Eligio (Italian and Spanish), Eligius (German), Eligiusz (Portuguese), Elis (Scandinavian and English), Eljas (Finnish), Eljasz (Polish), Ellis (English and Welsh), Elsu, and Ilyas (Arabic). A famous person named Elijah is Elijah Wood, Actor, born 28 January 1981, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. KEY: Pronunciation for Elijah: EH as in "Ed (EH.D)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; AY as in "hide (HH.AY.D)" ; JH as in "gee (JH.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; IY as in "eat (IY.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; AY as in "hide (HH.AY.D)" ; JH as in "gee (JH.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)"   |
