Elijah

Elijah -- the name of the Old Testament prophet who went to heaven in a chariot of fire -- has become a fashionable biblical choice. More than 13,000 parents chose Elijah last year, bringing it inside the Top 20 for the first time ever --a possible challenge to Jacob for Number 1 in the future.

After long neglect, Elijah was suddenly rejuvenated when Cher and Greg Allman bestowed it on their son Elijah Blue in 1976, and got another shot of youth serum via young actor Elijah Wood.

Among other celebrities who have chosen Elijah for their boys are Donnie Wahlberg, James Spader, Tracy Nelson, Wynonna Judd and Bono (who followed it with middle names Bob Patricus Guggi G.).

Elijah figures in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions. There are numerous songs containing the name, and Elijah also figures in many books--including Charles Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit-- and in films.