Ukrainian names — pronunciation, meaning, origin

Illia — Pronunciation, Meaning & Origin

Male Ukrainian name (Ілля)

Pronunciation

Pronunciation card for Illia
/iˈlʲlʲɑ/ · il-LYA
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Meaning

Illia (Ukrainian: Ілля) is a male name of Hebrew origin meaning «the Lord is my God», «my God is Yahweh». A solemn and majestic name closely tied to the figure of the Old Testament prophet.

Origin & History

The name derives from Hebrew אֵלִיָּהוּ (Eliyahu), composed of êl («God») and Yāhū (a shortened form of the Lord's name). In the Greco-Byzantine tradition it took the form Ἠλίας (Ēlías); in Church Slavonic, Ілія / Ілля. It is inseparably linked with the Prophet Elijah (Eliyahu), one of the most important prophets of the Old Testament, who according to tradition was taken alive to heaven in a fiery chariot. In the Slavic and Ukrainian folk tradition, Saint Elijah took the place of the ancient thunder god Perun; the Feast of Saint Elijah (2 August) is an important folk holiday associated with thunder, rain, and the beginning of autumn. The Ukrainian form Illia with the palatalized -lia is the native folk variant.

Etymology & Roots

From Hebrew Eliyahu: êl («God») + Yāhū (shortened Name of the Lord) — «the Lord is my God».

International equivalents

Equivalents in other languages: Elijah / Elias (English, German), Élie (French), Elias (Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Greek), Elia (Italian), Eliyahu / אֵלִיָּהוּ (Hebrew), Илья (Russian), Ілья (Belarusian), Ilias (Greek), Iliya (Bulgarian), Eliasz (Polish).

Diminutives and short forms

Ілько, Іллюша, Ілюня, Ілечко, Іленька, Іляша, Ілюся, Іля, Ілька.

Declension (Ukrainian)

NominativeІлля
GenitiveІллі
DativeІллі
AccusativeІллю
InstrumentalІллею
LocativeІллі
VocativeІлле

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