How popular is the baby name Elijah in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Elijah.

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Popularity of the baby name Elijah


Posts that mention the name Elijah

Top baby names in smaller U.S. territories, 2018

According to the SSA, the most popular baby names in the U.S. territories of Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa — all four regions combined — in 2018 were Olivia and Sophia (tied) and Lucas and William (tied).

Here are the top girl names and top boy names for the four regions:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 12 (tie)
  2. Sophia, 12 (tie)
  3. Isabella, 10 (tie)
  4. Mia, 10 (tie)
  5. Angela, 9
  6. Emily, 8 (tie)
  7. Iris, 8 (tie)
  8. Faith, 7
  9. Amelia, 6 (5-way tie)
  10. Amy, 6 (5-way tie)
  11. Aria, 6 (5-way tie)
  12. Luna, 6 (5-way tie)
  13. Sarah, 6 (5-way tie)

Boy Names

  1. Lucas, 19 baby boys (tie)
  2. William, 19 (tie)
  3. Aiden, 18
  4. Daniel, 16
  5. Kevin, 15
  6. David, 14
  7. Michael, 13
  8. Evan, 12
  9. Elijah, 11 (6-way tie)
  10. Eric, 11 (6-way tie)
  11. Jason, 11 (6-way tie)
  12. Jayden, 11 (6-way tie)
  13. Liam, 11 (6-way tie)
  14. Ryan, 11 (6-way tie)

In 2017, the top names were Amy/Olivia and Kevin.

Source: Popular Baby Names by Territory (SSA)

Where did the baby name Illya come from in 1965?

The character Illya Kuryakin from the TV series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (1964-1968).
Illya Kuryakin from “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.“

The name Illya double-debuted in the U.S. baby name data in the mid-1960s:

 Boys Named IllyaGirls Named Illya
196755 [rank 980th]10
196678 [rank 828th]11
196535*5*
1964..
1963..
*Debut

Illya was the top debut name for boys in 1965. In fact, it ended up becoming one of the top boy-name debuts overall, and it reached the top 1000 twice.

So where did it come from?

The influence wasn’t the movie that gave yesterday’s name Ilya a boost, but the Cold War-era spy show The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which premiered on TV in 1964 and ran until 1968. (U.N.C.L.E. was an acronym for “United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.”)

The main characters were CIA agent Napoleon Solo (played by Robert Vaughn) and KGB agent Illya Nickovetch Kuryakin (played by David McCallum). Illya, a Slavic form of Elijah, was spelled out in the opening credits.

The name Napoleon may have also gotten a slight boost from the show, though it’s hard to tell.

Do you like the name Illya?

(Other dual-gender debuts I’ve posted about include Chaffee, Dasani, Dondi, Rikishi, and Sundown.)

Where did the baby name Ilya come from in 1961?

The character Ilya from the movie "Never on Sunday" (1960)
Ilya from “Never on Sunday“

When Ilya first popped up in the U.S. baby name data, it appeared as a girl name in 1961:

  • 1963: unlisted
  • 1962: unlisted
  • 1961: 5 baby girls named Ilya [debut]
  • 1960: unlisted
  • 1959: unlisted

Why?

Because the Greek romantic comedy Never on Sunday was released in October of 1960. It starred Greek actress Melina Mercouri as a free-spirited prostitute named Ilya.

The movie was a big hit, and Melina Mercouri was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (she lost to Elizabeth Taylor). The film earned four other nominations as well, but only won the Best Song category.

Interestingly, the trailer for the film starts with a string of names: “On Monday, it’s Tonio. On Tuesday, Boris. Wednesday is Spiro the fisherman’s day. And on Thursday, Jorgo’s the lucky fellow. Friday is devoted to Homer…”

Most sources classify the name Ilya and similar names (Iliya, Illya, Ilia, etc.) as male names — specifically, as forms of Elijah/Elias. So my best guess on the character name is that it was a nickname for Iliana, the feminine form of the Greek name Ilias (yet another form of Elijah/Elias).

Do you like the name Ilya? Do you prefer it as a girl name or as a boy name?

Source: Iliana – Behind the Name

Popular baby names in Minnesota, 2018

Flag of Minnesota
Flag of Minnesota

The state of Minnesota hasn’t (yet?) published a list of the top baby names of 2018. But it has given us the top names within certain racial/ethnic groups.

Top Girl Names

  • White: Evelyn
  • Native American: Olivia
  • Hispanic: Sofia
  • Black: Aisha
  • Asian/Pacific Islander: Amelia

Top Boy Names

  • White: Henry
  • Native American: Elijah
  • Hispanic: Jose
  • Black: Mohamed
  • Asian/Pacific Islander: Ethan

According to the SSA’s data, Minnesota’s top names overall last year were Evelyn and Henry.

And in 2017, according to the state itself, the most popular names were Evelyn and Oliver.

Source: Minnesota Department of Health (Facebook)

Image: Adapted from Flag of Minnesota (public domain)