Ilya
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- IL-ya
- Origin
- Hebrew
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,964 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #3,127 for boys
Ilya is a name of Hebrew origin, meaning “my God is Yahweh”. In 2025 it ranked 1,964th for boys in the UK (13 babies) and 3,127th for boys in the US (38 babies).
What does Ilya mean?
Hebrew: Russian form of Elijah
“my God is Yahweh”
Ilya Muromets is a legendary warrior hero of the Russian folk epics called byliny.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Ilya a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Ilya has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 6 girls and 13 boys in the UK and 26 girls and 38 boys in the US.
How popular is Ilya in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,964among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 13about 1 in 23,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 23% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 13 boys in the UK were named Ilya, making it the 1,964th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,185th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 17 boys. 6 girls were also named Ilya in 2025 (3,776th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Ilya in the UK since 1996 were born between 2009 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 32% of the babies named Ilya in the UK were girls.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,894th in England and Wales.
Ilya in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 | #1,964 |
| 2024 | 7 | #3,003 |
| 2023 | 10 | #2,303 |
| 2022 | 14 | #1,789 |
| 2021 | 10 | #2,257 |
| 2020 | 10 | #2,185 |
| 2019 | 16 | #1,608 |
| 2018 | 13 | #1,902 |
| 2017 | 13 | #1,922 |
| 2016 | 10 | #2,287 |
| 2015 | 17 | #1,535 |
| 2014 | 11 | #2,054 |
| 2013 | 12 | #1,901 |
| 2012 | 7 | #2,849 |
| 2011 | 8 | #2,503 |
| 2010 | 11 | #2,013 |
| 2009 | 13 | #1,760 |
| 2008 | 15 | #1,547 |
| 2007 | 3 | #4,486 |
| 2006 | 9 | #1,995 |
| 2005 | 8 | #2,090 |
| 2004 | 6 | #2,399 |
| 2003 | 3 | #3,593 |
| 2002 | 7 | #1,900 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 3 | #3,146 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 3 | #3,021 |
| 1997 | 3 | #2,979 |
How popular is Ilya in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,127among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 38about 1 in 45,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 16% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 38 boys in the US were named Ilya, making it the 3,127th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,024th. Its busiest year was 2018, with 48 boys. It first appears in the records in 1966. 26 girls were also named Ilya in 2025 (4,986th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Ilya in the US since 1880 were born between 2003 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 24% of the babies named Ilya in the US in 2009, and 41% in 2025.
Ilya in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 38 | #3,127 |
| 2024 | 32 | #3,522 |
| 2023 | 34 | #3,414 |
| 2022 | 27 | #3,992 |
| 2021 | 38 | #3,120 |
| 2020 | 38 | #3,024 |
| 2019 | 38 | #3,100 |
| 2018 | 48 | #2,616 |
| 2017 | 32 | #3,437 |
| 2016 | 27 | #3,882 |
| 2015 | 36 | #3,148 |
| 2014 | 31 | #3,454 |
| 2013 | 34 | #3,187 |
| 2012 | 40 | #2,903 |
| 2011 | 42 | #2,797 |
| 2010 | 32 | #3,376 |
| 2009 | 28 | #3,719 |
| 2008 | 22 | #4,392 |
| 2007 | 30 | #3,509 |
| 2006 | 26 | #3,780 |
| 2005 | 31 | #3,237 |
| 2004 | 19 | #4,416 |
| 2003 | 32 | #2,989 |
| 2002 | 14 | #5,124 |
| 2001 | 21 | #3,837 |
| 2000 | 24 | #3,417 |
| 1999 | 22 | #3,475 |
| 1998 | 14 | #4,645 |
| 1997 | 14 | #4,446 |
| 1996 | 13 | #4,606 |
| 1995 | 8 | #6,400 |
| 1994 | 11 | #5,103 |
| 1993 | 14 | #4,220 |
| 1992 | 6 | #7,414 |
| 1991 | 7 | #6,511 |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 6 | #6,420 |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 5 | #6,260 |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 6 | #4,933 |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 7 | #4,188 |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 7 | #3,961 |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 11 | #2,681 |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 5 | #3,946 |
Names like Ilya
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Musa Ibrahim Yahya Muhammad Zakariya Hamza Eesa Mustafa Ismail Ahmed Abdullah Zayan
Names related to Ilya
More Hebrew names
Noah Isabella Elijah James Jack Mia Ava Jude Ezra Benjamin Isaac Jacob Ethan Daniel Samuel Elias
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Ilya: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ilya, updated 20 October 2026.