Ilai
A gender-neutral Tamil name referring to a leaf or foliage.
Name Census estimates that about 228 living Americans carry the first name Ilai. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ilai today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ilai births was 2023 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ilai. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ilai with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
228
~ 1 in 1,503,309 Americans
Peak year
2023
40 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,606
Tracked since 2005
Census
Ilai in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 195 people with the first name Ilai, which placed it at #38,993 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#38,993
National first-name rank
People counted
195
195 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
47.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ilai
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ilai is White at 47.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ilai described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ilai at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.2% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino32.3% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.3% · 20
- Two or more races5.6% · 11
- Black or African American3.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2
Popularity
Ilai: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ilai from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 113 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ilai by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ilai during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ilais live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Ilai, while New York, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ilai
The given name Ilai has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, tracing back to ancient times. It is believed to be derived from the Hebrew root word "el," which means "God" or "mighty one," suggesting a connection to divine or powerful entities.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Ilai can be found in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Book of Samuel. Ilai was a military commander who served under King David, and his name appears in several verses, such as 1 Samuel 16:6 and 2 Samuel 23:19.
In ancient Israel, the name Ilai held significant cultural and religious significance, reflecting the importance of faith and reverence in the society. It was often given to children with the hope that they would grow up to be strong, courageous, and blessed by the divine.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Ilai. One of the earliest recorded examples is Ilai ben Berachiah, a prominent Jewish scholar who lived in the 2nd century CE. He was a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish legal and religious body of his time.
Another historical figure with the name Ilai was Ilai Gaon, a renowned Babylonian Jewish scholar who lived in the 8th century CE. He was the head of the prestigious Talmudic academy in Sura and made significant contributions to the study and interpretation of Jewish law.
In the realm of literature, Ilai ben Ayash al-Naqawa was an influential Hebrew poet and philosopher who lived in Spain during the 11th century CE. His works were renowned for their poetic elegance and philosophical depth, exploring themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition.
Moving forward in time, Ilai Sela was a prominent Israeli military leader who played a crucial role in the Six-Day War of 1967. He commanded the Israeli forces that captured the Golan Heights from Syrian control, solidifying Israel's territorial gains during that conflict.
Another notable figure with the name Ilai is Ilai Szpindel, a renowned Israeli sculptor and artist who was born in 1941. His works, which often incorporate metal and found objects, have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, earning him international recognition as a pioneer in contemporary Israeli art.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Ilai, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultural and historical contexts, from ancient times to the modern era.
People
Ilai + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ilai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ilai: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ilai?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 228 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ilai going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,503,309 US residents.
Is Ilai a common name?
We classify Ilai as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 230 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ilai most popular?
The single biggest year for Ilai was 2023, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ilai is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ilai in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 195 people with the name Ilai, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,993 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ilai in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ilai?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ilai leans strongly male. 171 people counted with this name were male (86.8%), compared with 26 female bearers (13.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ilai?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ilai is White at 47.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ilai most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ilai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.2% (92 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ilai in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ilai a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ilai in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ilai still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ilai in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ilai can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Ilai?
You can see how many people share the name Ilai on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.