Elijah
Meaning of Elijah
Elijah, a masculine forename rooted in the Hebrew אֵלִיָּהוּ (ʼĒlīyāhû) and conventionally rendered as “My God is Yahweh,” entered the English lexicon through the Authorised Version of the Old Testament, wherein the ninth-century-BCE prophet confronts the syncretism of Ahab’s Israel and is carried heavenward in a whirlwind; this scriptural pedigree has endowed the name with enduring theological resonance across Jewish, Christian, and, by extension, wider Anglo-American cultures. Phonetically realised in English as ih-LYE-jə, the tri-syllabic pattern affords both clarity and a rhythmic cadence congenial to contemporary Anglophone ears. Although its usage remained moderate for much of the twentieth century, federal birth-registry data indicate a steady escalation from the mid-1970s, culminating in a top-ten placement in recent cohorts—a trajectory frequently interpreted by onomasticians as evidence of a broader revival of Old Testament appellations within modern naming practices. Historically evoking prophetic zeal and unyielding monotheism, yet pragmatically appreciated today for its mellifluous sound and cross-denominational accessibility, Elijah occupies a nexus where ancient narrative authority intersects with present-day demographic vitality.
Pronunciation
American English
- Pronunced as ih-LY-jah (/ɪˈlaɪdʒə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
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Notable People Named Elijah
| Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor and producer, a 1990s child star who became a prolific early 2000s presence, winning two Saturn Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award and earning a Daytime Emmy nomination. |
| Elijah Muhammad was an American religious leader and black separatist who led the Nation of Islam from 1933 to 1975 and mentored Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Muhammad Ali, and Warith Deen Mohammed. |
| Elijah Cummings was a Democratic U.S. Representative for Maryland's 7th District from 1996 until his 2019 death, representing much of Baltimore after serving in the state House, and was succeeded by Kweisi Mfume. |
| Elijah J McCoy was a Canadian American engineer famed for inventing steam engine lubrication systems, honored in 2012 when the Detroit US Patent and Trademark Office regional branch was named for him. |
| Elijah Millsap is an American former professional basketball player who last played in the NBA G League for the College Park Skyhawks after college stints at Louisiana Lafayette and UAB. |
| Elijah Harper was a Canadian Oji Cree leader and politician, former Red Sucker Lake chief, Manitoba MLA, and federal MP who helped defeat the Meech Lake Accord. |
| Elijah Brigham Bryant is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Israeli Ligat HaAl and the EuroLeague who played college basketball at Elon and BYU. |
| Elijah Dixon, a Manchester textile worker turned wealthy manufacturer, was a leading 19th century reformer present at the Blanketeers March and Peterloo, arrested for suspected treason, and later hailed as a father of English reformers. |
| Elijah Johnson - Elijah K. Johnson is an American basketball player for Maccabi Ashdod in Israel and a Kansas alum who has also played in Poland, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, and Germany. |
| Elijah Blue Allman - Elijah Sky Blue Allman, known as P. Exeter Blue I, is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band Deadsy and the son of Cher and Gregg Allman. |
| Elijah Sandham was an English ILP politician from Lancashire who served as MP for Liverpool Kirkdale from 1929 to 1931 and in 1934 led the breakaway Independent Socialist Party. |
| Elijah Bristow was the first white settler to claim land and build a permanent cabin in the upper Willamette Valley in 1846, and with his wife Susannah Gabbert Bristow he founded the first church in Pleasant Hill and donated land for its first school. |
| Elijah Esaias Holyfield is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE and a former professional football running back. |
| Elijah Alfred Alexander III was an NFL linebacker for the Buccaneers, Broncos, Colts, and Raiders who, after a 2005 multiple myeloma diagnosis, founded the Tackle Myeloma Foundation in 2006. |
