Head to head · Boys' names
Eithan vs Eli
#97 vs #104 in 2025
Eithan is a whisker ahead (#97 vs #104 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Eithan is climbing the charts fast, Eli is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Eithan and Eli each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Eithan —, Eli #184 — Eli higher
- 1890s: Eithan —, Eli #249 — Eli higher
- 1900s: Eithan —, Eli #289 — Eli higher
- 1910s: Eithan —, Eli #321 — Eli higher
- 1920s: Eithan —, Eli #375 — Eli higher
- 1930s: Eithan —, Eli #454 — Eli higher
- 1940s: Eithan —, Eli #555 — Eli higher
- 1950s: Eithan —, Eli #630 — Eli higher
- 1960s: Eithan —, Eli #668 — Eli higher
- 1970s: Eithan —, Eli #423 — Eli higher
- 1980s: Eithan #6229, Eli #351 — Eli higher
- 1990s: Eithan #6744, Eli #312 — Eli higher
- 2000s: Eithan #3056, Eli #159 — Eli higher
- 2010s: Eithan #1729, Eli #53 — Eli higher
- 2020s: Eithan #486, Eli #78 — Eli higher
Eli stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Eithan | Eli |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #184 |
| 1890s | — | #249 |
| 1900s | — | #289 |
| 1910s | — | #321 |
| 1920s | — | #375 |
| 1930s | — | #454 |
| 1940s | — | #555 |
| 1950s | — | #630 |
| 1960s | — | #668 |
| 1970s | — | #423 |
| 1980s | #6229 | #351 |
| 1990s | #6744 | #312 |
| 2000s | #3056 | #159 |
| 2010s | #1729 | #53 |
| 2020s | #486 | #78 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Eithan
Not charting outside the US.
Eli
- Canada#69
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Eithan
Firm, enduring, strong — of something that lasts
From the Hebrew adjective eitan (אֵיתָן), used of a stream that never runs dry and, by extension, of anything permanent or steadfast.
Eitan (Hebrew) → Aithan (Greek Septuagint) → Ethan (English Bible) → Eithan
How it traveled
The name is Hebrew, and it reached English readers through scripture rather than through migration: the Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible rendered it Aithan, Latin kept it close, and English Bibles settled on Ethan. Puritan families took biblical names of this kind into everyday use, and Ethan traveled with them to North America.
Eli
ascent, height — from the Hebrew root meaning 'to go up'
Worth knowing: the Hebrew phrase 'Eli, Eli' in the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion means 'my God', but that is a different Hebrew word that happens to reach English at the same spelling. The name of the priest is the one meaning 'height'.
עֵלִי (ʿEli) → Ἡλί (Hēli) → Heli → Eli
How it traveled
The name comes from the Hebrew Bible, where Eli is the priest at Shiloh who takes in the child Samuel and teaches him to answer when he is called — a story told across the opening chapters of 1 Samuel. It passed into Greek and Latin scripture as Hēli, and reached English through the great wave of Bible translation, then traveled to North America with settlers who preferred Old Testament names to saints' days.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Eithan
EE-thən
The extra i does not change the English sound — it is said exactly like Ethan, stress on the first syllable, with the soft th of think. In Hebrew the same name is ay-TAHN, with the stress at the end, so bilingual families sometimes use both.
- E — The initial used on its own, informally within families; the full name is short enough that most bearers simply go by it.
- Eitan — The Hebrew form, used as the everyday name in Israeli families and as a given name in its own right.
- Eith — An informal clipping that turns up occasionally; not widely established.
Eli
EE-lye
That is the standard American pronunciation. In Hebrew, Spanish and Portuguese the same spelling is said closer to eh-LEE, so bilingual families sometimes carry both versions comfortably.
- Eli — Most often used in full — it is already about as short as a name gets, and it also serves as the everyday short form for Elijah, Elias, Elisha, Eliezer and Elliot.
- E — Informal, mostly among friends and teammates rather than family.
- Elias / Elijah — Some families run the other direction, putting a longer biblical name on the birth certificate and using Eli in daily life.
Who has carried each name
Eithan
No documented entry for Eithan yet.
Eli
Eli Whitney (b. 1765) — Invented the cotton gin
Eli Manning (b. 1981) — Two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Eithan if you want…
- a name on the way upup 769 places on the charts in five years
- a newer arrivalEithan entered the US charts in 1989
Choose Eli if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsEli is stepping back from its peak
- a name that charts abroad tooEli is on the national lists of Canada
- a long American recordEli was already in use when US records began in 1880
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Eithan
Strengths
- Sounds completely familiar to English speakers while looking distinct on paper — no one will need the pronunciation explained.
- A documented history of about three thousand years, from the Hebrew Bible through Puritan English into modern use.
- Works with little adjustment in English, Spanish, French and Hebrew, which matters in bilingual families.
To consider
- Ethan is the default spelling in American English, so expect Eithan to be spelled back incorrectly on forms, class lists and coffee cups for life.
- The name resists shortening. There is no established nickname the way there is for a William or a Nicholas, so it will mostly be used in full.
- Some readers will try ay- or eye- for that ei before learning otherwise, particularly if they know the Hebrew form.
Eli
Strengths
- Short, phonetic and hard to misspell once heard — three letters that fit on any form, screen or jersey.
- Documented in scripture for millennia and in American records continuously, so it reads as neither invented nor dated.
- Works both as a complete given name and as the natural short form of Elijah, Elias and Elliot, which leaves room to change your mind later.
To consider
- The EE-lye / eh-LEE split is real. Spanish- and Hebrew-speaking relatives may reach for the second one, and you will decide fairly early whether to correct people or let both stand.
- People frequently assume it is short for Elijah and ask for the longer version. If Eli is the whole name, expect that question at doctors' offices and roll calls for years.
- Another Eli in the class is unlikely, but the wider Eli- family — Elijah, Elias, Eliana — is well represented, so the sound will not be unfamiliar to anyone.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Eithan and Eli in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Eithan and Eli — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Eithan or Eli — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Eithan or Eli?
- Eithan, in 2025: Eithan ranked #97 with 3,636 babies; Eli ranked #104 with 3,418 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Eithan or Eli?
- Eithan. Over the last five years Eithan moved up 769 places; Eli moved down 44 places.
- Which is the older name, Eithan or Eli?
- Eithan entered the US charts in 1989; Eli was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Eli is the older name.
- How many people are named Eithan and Eli?
- About 8,700 people named Eithan are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 143,000 people named Eli are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Eithans or Elis in the classroom?
- Eithan will almost certainly be the only one in school. Eli will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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