Elijah vs Leo
Elijah and Leo compared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Elijah was ranked #23 and Leo #3 among boys in England and Wales.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Elijah was ranked #7 and Leo #5 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Elijah was ranked #13 and Leo #5 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Elijah was ranked #76 and Leo #5 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Elijah was ranked #97 and Leo #10 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Elijah was ranked #57 and Leo #12 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Elijah and Leo over time
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Higher on the chart is a stronger position. The scale is logarithmic, so the gap from #1 to #10 is drawn as large as the gap from #100 to #1,000.
Elijah and Leo over time
Elijah and Leo appear together in 5 published lists, across 115 years of shared records. Leo held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Elijah in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Leo reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, Elijah in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2016, Leo moved ahead of Elijah in New Zealand · Boys — #23 and #24 the year before became #27 and #9.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Elijah and Leo changed places 5 times in New Zealand · Boys between 2003 and 2023, ending at #13 and #5.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 21 shared years in New Zealand · Boys, Elijah and Leo averaged 10.1 places apart, ending at #13 and #5.
- Longest-running competitions
Elijah and Leo were both ranked in England and Wales · Boys for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #23 and #3.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Elijah #23 in 2024, Leo #3 in 2025.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys30 shared years, 1996–2025
Elijah held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Leo in 30.
Highest recorded here: Elijah #23 in 2024, Leo #3 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elijah #23, Leo #3.
Republic of Ireland · Boys26 shared years, 2000–2025
Elijah held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Leo in 26.
Highest recorded here: Elijah #97 in 2025, Leo #10 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elijah #97, Leo #10.
New Zealand · Boys21 shared years, 2003–2023
Elijah held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Leo in 13.
Highest recorded here: Elijah #11 in 2020, Leo #3 in 2019.
The order changed in 2016: Leo moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #23 and #24; by 2016 that had become #27 and #9.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Elijah #13, Leo #5.
Northern Ireland · Boys21 shared years, 1999–2024
Elijah held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Leo in 21.
Highest recorded here: Elijah #52 in 2023, Leo #6 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Elijah #57, Leo #12.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys17 shared years, 2009–2025
Elijah held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Leo in 12.
Highest recorded here: Elijah #7 in 2025, Leo #3 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Elijah #7, Leo #5.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Elijah | Leo |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Traditionally rendered as 'my God is Yahweh', reflecting a common theophoric naming pattern in Hebrew. | Lion. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Latin |
| Pronunciation | /ɪˈlaɪdʒə/ | /ˈliːoʊ/ |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand | New South Wales, Australia, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Norway, New Zealand |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #7 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #3 (2025) |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Elijah is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Leo is recorded with a Latin origin.
- Elijah has 3 syllables, compared with 1 for Leo.
- Elijah's recorded meaning differs from Leo's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Elijah
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #312 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2003–2025
Highest recorded position: #7 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025 (recorded 2003–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #23 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Leo
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #303 among boys in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #4867 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls