Jesus vs Elijah
How Jesus and Elijah compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Jesus (boys) vs Elijah (boys), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Jesus | Elijah |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 2004 — 6,471 boys | 2011 — 13,997 boys |
| Peak rank | #70 | #13 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #173 (2,078 births) | #7 (11,111 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 157,458 | 345,561 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 24,233 | 125,763 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Elijah reached 13,997 US births in 2011 — 7,526 more than Jesus's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Jesus births | Elijah births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Elijah | 5,218 | 5,662 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name list.
Jesus — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | #32 | 1,593 |
| 2 | Texas | #61 | 5,819 |
| 3 | California | #73 | 5,574 |
| 4 | New Mexico | #81 | 234 |
| 5 | Nevada | #116 | 281 |
Elijah — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | #3 | 1,358 |
| 2 | Louisiana | #3 | 2,113 |
| 3 | New Mexico | #4 | 821 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | #4 | 1,558 |
| 5 | Florida | #4 | 8,344 |
Want a different comparison?
Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →