Iliya is a Slavic form of Elijah, from Hebrew meaning my God is Yahweh.
Iliya is a form of one of history's most enduring names — the prophet Elijah, known in Hebrew as Eliyahu (אֵלִיָּהוּ), meaning "my God is Yahweh" or "Yahweh is my God." The name traveled from its Hebrew origins into Greek as Elias, into Latin as Elias, and then splintered into dozens of regional variations as it moved through Slavic, Arabic, and Balkan languages: Ilya in Russian, Ilija in Serbian and Croatian, Ilia in Georgian and Bulgarian, and Iliya across much of the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
The prophet Elijah himself is one of the most dramatic figures in the Hebrew Bible — the zealous wonder-worker who challenged the prophets of Baal, was fed by ravens in the wilderness, and was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire without tasting death. His return is prophesied before the messianic age, and he appears as a guest at every Passover seder. This weight of expectation and spiritual intensity has made his name beloved across Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions (in Islam he is known as Ilyas).
In modern times, Iliya feels like a rediscovery — softer and more international than Elijah, recognizable to Western ears yet unmistakably drawing from Slavic and Middle Eastern wellsprings. It appears in Russian literature and history (the folk hero Ilya Muromets is Russia's greatest bogatyr, or knight), and it has gained traction among parents in multicultural communities who want a name that bridges Eastern European, Mediterranean, and biblical heritages with uncommon elegance.