Elymas as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Elymas

What is the meaning of the name Elymas ?

The baby name Elymas is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈɛlɪməs/ (EL-ih-məs),/iˈlaɪməs/ (ee-LY-məs).

Elymas is Biblical in Origin.

Elymas is a rare masculine name recorded in the New Testament (Acts 13). The Greek form Ἐλύμας likely reflects a Semitic root ʿ-l-m “to know,” comparable to Arabic ʿalīm “learned, wise.” Luke glosses the name as “magos” (magician), so its sense is “learned man, sage,” extended in context to “sorcerer.” Meaning is therefore given as “wise/learned one,” with the biblical narrative shading it toward “magician.”

Historically, Elymas is the name of the Jewish wonder-worker in Paphos, also called Bar-Jesus, who opposes Paul and Barnabas and is temporarily blinded. As a given name it has seen little continuous use, appearing mainly in ecclesiastical commentary and modern revivalist naming for its unusual biblical aura. Variant spellings are scarce; Elimas occurs as a transliteration variant. Short forms like Eli may be used informally. Not to be confused with Elymais (a Hellenistic name for Elam), which is unrelated.

⚙ Elymas is extremely rare. There are only 8 recorded uses on record, spread over 6 countries.