# Elijah (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/elijah/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname transferred from the given name

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 1,094 |
| US rank (2010) | 23,283 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 282,217 people |
| Change since 2000 | +28% (855 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ɪˈlaɪd͡ʒə/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Hebrew אליהו (Eliyahu, literally “Yahweh is my god”). Doublet of Ilya and Iliya. Compare Joel. See also Arabic إلياس.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Elijah in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 35% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 51% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5.2% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 5.6% |

## Similar surnames

Elias, Ellis, Ellzey, Elsey, Ells, Eells, Elzey, Elsea, Elzy, Else.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.