Meaning & History
Elija is a Lithuanian feminine form of the biblical name Elijah. While Elijah is primarily masculine in most languages, Lithuanian has developed a feminine variant by adding the typically feminine ending -a. The name is very rare in Lithuania and is not among the most popular female names, but it reflects the Christian tradition of adapting Hebrew-derived prophetic names into local linguistic forms.
Elijah, from which Elija derives, is an English form of the Hebrew name אֱלִיָּהוּ (ʾEliyyahu), meaning "my God is Yahweh". The name is composed of the Hebrew elements אֵל (ʾel) and יָהּ (yah), both referring to the God of Israel. In the Hebrew Bible, Elijah was a 9th-century BC prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Known for his zealous defense of the worship of Yahweh against the Canaanite god Baʻal, Elijah performed numerous miracles, including raising a widow's son from the dead and calling down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). According to 2 Kings 2, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, and his successor was Elisha.
Feminine Forms
Feminine counterparts of Elijah are found in various languages. In addition to Lithuanian Elija, there are Greek Iliana, Macedonian Ilina, Bulgarian Iliyana, and Serbian Ilinka. French offers Élia and Éliette. The Lithuanian masculine form of Elijah is Elijas.
- Meaning: "my God is Yahweh" (from Hebrew)
- Origin: Lithuanian feminine form of Elijah
- Type: Feminine given name
- Usage: Lithuanian
Related Names
Sources: Wikipedia — Elijah