Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2019

Elya

Gender Unisex · 39% girls Rank 2025 #4,288 Trend ↓ Falling 24%
Rank 2025
#4,288
among boys · ↑1,986 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
35
named Elya · +21% vs 2024
How common
1 in 71,170
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2019
38 babies
All-time total
659
#8,968 all-time among boys
First recorded
1983
in Social Security records

Elya popularity over time

659 babies have been named Elya since 1983, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.010.020.0218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s 64 – 64 6 – –
1990s 23 34 57 6 -11% #6,809
2000s 25 92 117 12 +105% #5,317
2010s 73 162 235 24 +101% #3,826
2020s (to 2025) 70 116 186 31 +32% #4,288

Where Elya is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 23 0.01 outside top 500
2027 22 0.01 outside top 500
2028 22 0.01 outside top 500
2029 21 0.01 outside top 500
2030 21 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Elya

Elya is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #4,288 in 2025 with 24 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1983, 659 American babies have been named Elya, about 61% boys and 39% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2019, when 38 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Elya stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Elya?

The median living Elya is about 10 years old; half are between 5 and 20. An estimated 700 people named Elya are alive in the United States today.

median 10 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Elya year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 11 #9,031 24 #4,288
2024 15 #7,349 14 #6,274
2023 15 #7,365 17 #5,523
2022 10 #9,905 19 #5,084
2021 8 #11,420 21 #4,680
2020 11 #9,128 21 #4,589
2019 10 #9,958 28 #3,826
2018 6 #14,327 25 #4,126
2017 6 #14,662 20 #4,793
2016 11 #9,609 19 #4,995
2015 11 #9,678 11 #7,208
2014 7 #13,499 10 #7,718
2013 – – 14 #6,006
2012 9 #11,559 11 #7,197
2011 5 #17,583 10 #7,660
2010 8 #12,651 14 #6,139
2009 5 #18,146 11 #7,353
2008 9 #11,890 17 #5,317
2007 – – 11 #7,238
2006 6 #15,710 9 #8,198
2005 – – 6 #10,487
2004 – – 8 #8,364
2003 – – 6 #9,957
2002 – – 5 #11,215
2001 5 #16,088 12 #5,783
2000 – – 7 #8,470
1995 – – – –
1990 8 #9,530 – –
1985 13 #5,445 – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Elya

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Elya Baskin Latvian-American actor (born 1950) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Elya, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Elya?

The median living Elya is about 10 years old. Half of all living Elyas are between 5 and 20 years old.

How many people named Elya are alive today?

An estimated 700 people named Elya are alive in the United States, based on 659 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Elya in 2025?

Elya ranked #4,288 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 24 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Elya?

659 babies have been named Elya in the United States since 1983, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Elya most popular?

Elya peaked in 2019, when 38 newborns received the name.

Is Elya a boy or girl name?

Elya is used for both: about 39% of babies named Elya have been girls and 61% boys.

Is the name Elya rising or falling?

Elya is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Elya become more popular?

Elya is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 21 boys named Elya in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Elya?

Well-known people named Elya include Elya Baskin (actor).

Names like Elya

Names that sound and feel close to Elya: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Elya with similar names → More names starting with E →