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

Most popular lengths for baby names, 2016

The long and short of it is that U.S. parents don’t choose long and short baby names as often as they choose mid-length baby names. The most popular lengths for baby names in 2016? 6 letters, followed by 5 letters, followed by 7 letters…yet again.

Here’s a chart showing the length breakdown for girl names:

lengths, girl names, baby names, 2016, chart

The most-used girl names per length (from 2 to 10 letters) last year were…

And here’s the breakdown for boy names:

lengths, boy names, baby names, 2016, chart

The most-used boy names per length (from 2 to 10 letters) were…

Finally, here are both genders on the same chart:

lengths, boy names, baby names, girl names, 2016, chart

Here’s last year’s post on the top name lengths of 2015, if you’d like to compare.

Popular baby names in the United States, 2016

Flag of the United States
Flag of the United States

According to the Social Security Administration, Emma and Noah were the most popular baby names in the United States in 2016.

Here are the top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names:

Girl names

  1. Emma, 19,414 baby girls (same rank as in 2015)
  2. Olivia, 19,246 (same rank)
  3. Ava, 16,237 (up from 4th)
  4. Sophia, 16,070 (down from 3rd)
  5. Isabella, 14,722 (same rank)
  6. Mia, 14,366 (same rank)
  7. Charlotte, 13,030 (up from 9th)
  8. Abigail, 11,699 (down from 7th)
  9. Emily, 10,926 (down from 8th)
  10. Harper, 10,733 (same rank)

Boy names

  1. Noah, 19,015 baby boys (same rank as in 2015)
  2. Liam, 18,138 (same rank)
  3. William, 15,668 (up from 5th)
  4. Mason, 15,192 (down from 3rd)
  5. James, 14,776 (up from 7th)
  6. Benjamin, 14,569 (up from 10th)
  7. Jacob, 14,416 (down from 4th)
  8. Michael, 13,998 (up from 9th)
  9. Elijah, 13,764 (up from 11th)
  10. Ethan, 13,758 (down from 6th)

Emma and Noah were also the #1 names in 2015 and in 2014.

Elijah replaced Alexander (now 11th) in the boys’ top 10. No replacements in the girls’ top 10.

Here’s more from the SSA’s news release:

Each year, the list reveals the effect of pop-culture on naming trends. This year’s winners for biggest jump in popularity in the Top 1,000 are Kehlani and Kylo.

Kehlani rose 2,487 spots on the girls’ side to number 872, from number 3,359 in 2015. Perhaps this can be attributed to Kehlani Parrish, a singer/songwriter who was nominated for a Grammy in 2016. She was named an artist to watch and clearly new parents agree her star is rising. Kehlani collaborated with Zayn Malik, the former One Direction star and current solo artist, on a song in 2016. The name Zayn also made the boys fastest riser list.

The force was strong for Kylo in 2016 as he soared 2,368 spots for the boys, from number 3,269 in 2015 to number 901. Kylo Ren, the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia and the grandson of Darth Vader, was a character in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Perhaps Kylo can continue to harness the force and climb even higher in the coming years.

The second fastest riser for girls was Royalty. The royal family likely had something to do with this increase in popularity, or the 2015 World Series champions, the Kansas City Royals, may have influenced parents-to-be.

For boys, it was Creed. This could be attributed to the return to the silver screen of America’s favorite boxer Rocky Balboa in the 2015 movie Creed, where Rocky trains and mentors Adonis Johnson Creed, the son of his late friend and boxing rival, Apollo Creed. The name Adonis just happens to be the number four fastest riser on the list for boys.

Regarding Royalty, the inspiration was much more likely R&B singer Chris Brown. His daughter Royalty, born in mid-2014, was featured on the cover of his album Royalty, released at the end of 2015.

More analysis coming soon!

Sources: SSA, Emma and Noah Remain Social Security’s Most Popular Baby Names for 2016 – SSA

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United States (public domain)

Popular baby names in Oregon, 2015

Flag of Oregon
Flag of Oregon

According to the Oregon Public Health Division, the most popular baby names in the state in 2015 were Emma and Liam.

Here are Oregon’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2015:

Girl names

  1. Emma, 233 baby girls
  2. Olivia, 219
  3. Sophia, 181
  4. Abigail, 170
  5. Charlotte, 165
  6. Evelyn, 158
  7. Ava, 146 (tie)
  8. Mia, 146 (tie)
  9. Amelia, 143
  10. Isabella, 135

Boy names

  1. Liam, 225 baby boys
  2. Henry, 209
  3. Oliver, 190
  4. James, 182
  5. Noah, 180
  6. Wyatt, 175
  7. Mason, 174
  8. Elijah, 168
  9. William, 160
  10. Alexander, 158

The #1 names were the same in 2014.

In the girls’ top 10, Charlotte and Mia replaced Emily and Elizabeth.

In the boys’ top 10, James and Elijah replaced Benjamin and Logan.

Source: Vital Statistics Annual Report – Oregon Public Health

Image: Adapted from Flag of Oregon (public domain)

Popular baby names in Tennessee, 2016

Flag of Tennessee
Flag of Tennessee

According to provisional data released on January 10th by Tennessee’s Office of Vital Records, the most popular baby names in the state in 2016 were Emma and William.

Here are Tennessee’s projected top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2016:

Girl Names
1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Ava
4. Harper
5. Isabella
6. Amelia
7. Elizabeth
8. Ella
9. Charlotte
10. Abigail

Boy Names
1. William
2. Elijah and James (tie)
3. Mason
4. Noah
5. Jackson and Liam (tie)
6. John and Michael (tie)
7. Benjamin
8. Aiden
9. Jacob
10. Carter

The #1 names were the same in 2015.

In the girls’ top 10, Amelia, Ella, and Charlotte replaced Sophia, Madison, and Emily.

Newcomers to the boys’ top 10 are Michael, Benjamin, and Aiden. (No drop-offs this year due to the ties.)

Source: Emma, William Maintain Titles as Tennessee’s Top Baby Names

Image: Adapted from Flag of Tennessee (public domain)