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Home › Baby Names Directory › Ilya

Ilya

♀ Girl

Pronounced EEL-yah /ˈil.jɑ/Medium

Meaning: The Russian form of Elijah — from Hebrew, 'my God is Yahweh; the Lord is my God'; in Russian a boys' name; here used for girls; we flag the male leanLow

In 30 seconds: My God is Yahweh; the Lord is my God: Ilya is the Russian Elijah. Mostly male — here for girls (said 'EEL-yah').
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Origin LowHebrew, Russian
MeaningThe Russian form of Elijah — from Hebrew, 'my God is Yahweh; the Lord is my God'; in Russian a boys' name; here used for girls; we flag the male lean
U.S. rank (2025)#5027 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births26 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2025
Total births (all-time)≈ 256

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202519612025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Ilya is the Russian form of Elijah — from Hebrew, 'my God is Yahweh; the Lord is my God'. In Russian it is a boys' name; where it appears for a girl (sometimes blending with names like Ilana) it is rare, and we flag the male lean honestly (slug distinguished; said 'EEL-yah').

In the U.S. Ilya leans male. Rare for girls, the-Lord-is-my-God at the root, and classic.

Did you know? Ilya is the Russian form of Elijah — from Hebrew, 'my God is Yahweh; the Lord is my God' — a boys' name in Russian; we flag the male lean where it appears for a girl (said 'EEL-yah').
Overall data confidence 34%
References — Ilya — male lean; flagged

Variations

IliaIliyaIlana

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Ilya…

Ilana— a sound-neighbor Il- girls' name
Ilaria— a companion Il- girls' name
Mila— another Slavic-flavored girls' name
Vanya— the same unisex feel
Danya— the same unisex feel

Explore names like Ilya

By themeuncertainhebrewunisexrussian
By meaningGod / Divine

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Ilya mean?

Ilya is the Russian Elijah — Hebrew 'my God is Yahweh; the Lord is my God'. In Russian it is a boys' name.

How do you pronounce Ilya?

It's said EEL-yah /ˈil.jɑ/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Ilya a boy or girl name?

Ilya is mostly a boys' name (Russian); this page covers its use as a girl's name, which we flag.

How popular is Ilya?

Ilya is rare for girls in the U.S.

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