Elia
A surname with several likely roots, most often linked to the biblical name Elijah/Elias or to the Italian form of Elias.
The #9,397 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 89,233 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Elia is usually treated as a surname formed from a personal name, especially Elias, the Greek and Latin form of Hebrew Eliyahu, meaning “my God is Yahweh” or “the Lord is God.” In Italian, Elia is also the regular form of Elijah/Elias and could easily have passed into surname use from a given name. Some historical name books also note the spelling in English contexts without giving a single settled derivation, so the surname may be multiple independent family names with the same form.
History
The surname appears in records from several countries, especially where biblical given names were commonly used as the basis for hereditary surnames. In English records it is comparatively uncommon and may represent immigrant Italian, Jewish, or other continental families rather than a single native surname line. Because the form matches a common personal name across several languages, different bearers of Elia may not share the same origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Elia is one of those surnames that can look deceptively simple while actually reflecting a very old biblical name that spread through Greek, Latin, Romance, and Hebrew traditions.
From the historical record
“source: v. Angel. Elia* Angel, 1179: P. T. Torka p. au, 1570. Bined-lbnyetl Angetl, vn ot Ur. Angell : El. Dionii Backcbnnli, p, 191, 1711. Married- John Angil and^Ejii.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instancesNotable people named Elia
- Eljero Elia (b. 1987)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.