| Elijah | Nathan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Yahweh is my God | he gave, given |
| Origin | Hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ee-LY-juh | NAY-thən |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2011 (14,001) | 2004 (14,634) |
| In 2025 | 11,111 | 4,975 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Elijah | Nathan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 72,049 | 31,755 |
| 2010s | 137,147 | 88,034 |
| 2000s | 110,421 | 134,857 |
| 1990s | 34,652 | 107,332 |
| 1980s | 7,567 | 105,987 |
| 1970s | 3,400 | 65,857 |
| 1960s | 1,524 | 15,524 |
| 1950s | 2,314 | 10,126 |
| 1940s | 2,399 | 5,577 |
| 1930s | 2,135 | 4,699 |
| 1920s | 2,755 | 6,715 |
| 1910s | 1,963 | 7,132 |
| 1900s | 725 | 1,616 |
| 1890s | 704 | 1,180 |
| 1880s | 856 | 1,106 |
Elijah is from the Hebrew Eliyyahu, “Yahweh is my God.” The prophet Elijah is a major figure in the Hebrew Bible.
From Hebrew Natan, from the root natan 'to give', meaning 'he gave' or 'given'. The same root underlies Nathaniel and Jonathan; on its own it denotes giving rather than naming God.
Elijah is more popular than Nathan today: about 11,111 US babies were given the name Elijah in 2025, compared with 4,975 named Nathan.
Elijah means Yahweh is my God (Hebrew origin), while Nathan means he gave, given (hebrew origin).
In US records, Elijah first appears in 1880 and Nathan in 1880, so Elijah has the longer recorded history.