| Elijah | Gabriel | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Yahweh is my God | God is my strength |
| Origin | Hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ee-LY-juh | GAY-bree-el |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2011 (14,001) | 2008 (13,041) |
| In 2025 | 11,111 | 6,569 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Elijah | Gabriel |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 72,049 | 41,496 |
| 2010s | 137,147 | 105,621 |
| 2000s | 110,421 | 119,830 |
| 1990s | 34,652 | 54,819 |
| 1980s | 7,567 | 32,320 |
| 1970s | 3,400 | 24,390 |
| 1960s | 1,524 | 6,159 |
| 1950s | 2,314 | 3,204 |
| 1940s | 2,399 | 2,039 |
| 1930s | 2,135 | 1,839 |
| 1920s | 2,755 | 2,201 |
| 1910s | 1,963 | 1,335 |
| 1900s | 725 | 234 |
| 1890s | 704 | 144 |
| 1880s | 856 | 147 |
Elijah is from the Hebrew Eliyyahu, “Yahweh is my God.” The prophet Elijah is a major figure in the Hebrew Bible.
Gabriel is from the Hebrew Gavriʾel, “God is my strength.” Gabriel is one of the archangels who appears in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition.
Elijah is more popular than Gabriel today: about 11,111 US babies were given the name Elijah in 2025, compared with 6,569 named Gabriel.
Elijah means Yahweh is my God (Hebrew origin), while Gabriel means God is my strength (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Elijah first appears in 1880 and Gabriel in 1880, so Elijah has the longer recorded history.