Elias
Boy name · #13 in 2025 · Very well-known
Elias ranks #13 among American boys' names as of 2025, with 8,837 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #100, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 204 boys born in 2025 was named Elias.
Babies named Elias per year. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Elias first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 65 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 8,837 babies and a rank of #13. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Elias against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Elias in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Elias is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Elias is most common
Geography matters for names, and Elias is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Elias is most common in AK (15 per 1,000), WY (12 per 1,000), NM (10 per 1,000), NV (9 per 1,000), AZ (9 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 6 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Elias is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Elias
Elias carries a whole family of nicknames and spellings — names that will feel like the same name in a classroom.
Counted as one name, the Elias family went to about 12,255 boys in 2025 — together they'd rank around #5, versus #13 for Elias alone.
Names like Elias
Statistically, parents drawn to Elias tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Lucas, Ezra, Luca, Levi, and Hudson.
LucasEzraLucaLeviHudsonMateoMilesLeo
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Elias | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,837 | #13 |
| 2024 | 7,684 | #25 |
| 2023 | 7,006 | #36 |
| 2022 | 6,730 | #43 |
| 2021 | 6,355 | #48 |
| 2020 | 5,993 | #54 |
| 2019 | 5,722 | #60 |
| 2018 | 5,351 | #67 |
| 2017 | 4,931 | #78 |
| 2016 | 4,486 | #93 |
| 2015 | 4,101 | #100 |
| 2014 | 3,784 | #103 |
| 2013 | 3,498 | #113 |
| 2012 | 3,229 | #115 |
| 2011 | 2,993 | #139 |
| 2010 | 2,830 | #141 |
| 2009 | 2,486 | #158 |
| 2008 | 2,522 | #157 |
| 2007 | 2,362 | #174 |
| 2006 | 2,163 | #186 |
| 2005 | 2,116 | #188 |
| 2004 | 1,760 | #207 |
| 2003 | 1,712 | #210 |
| 2002 | 1,575 | #217 |
| 2001 | 1,518 | #228 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Elias a popular boy name?
Elias ranked #13 among boys in 2025 with 8,837 babies given the name — firmly in the top 100, so yes, it’s a popular choice. Ten years earlier it ranked #100.
When was the name Elias most popular?
Elias peaked in 2025, when 8,837 American boys received the name (ranked #13 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Elias?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 204 newborn American boys was named Elias. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.