Eli
Feminine · “ascent”
Eli is given to boys far more often — 153,495 boys against 1,017 girls since 1880. See Eli as a boy name
Eli is a Hebrew name from the books of Samuel — the priest at Shiloh who raises Samuel — and it also means my God as a bare phrase.
How old is the name Eli?
Eli first appears in US birth records in 1916 — 109 years ago. The typical Eli alive today was born around 2010, making them about 15 years old. About 1,000 people named Eli are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Eli most popular?
Eli peaked in 2004, reaching #3490 nationally. Today it ranks #4067, 577 places below that high. See the whole 2004 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Eli
Eli is the old priest who mistakes the praying Hannah for a drunk and later fails to restrain his own sons; the boy Samuel, raised in his house, hears a voice in the night and Eli is the one who tells him how to answer. English Protestants took the name after the Reformation. Its use for girls is recent and small, alongside Ari and Emery.
Meaningscholars disagree
ascent; or my God
The priest's name Eli is generally read from a root meaning to ascend or be high. Separately, eli is Hebrew for my God and opens Elijah, Eliezer and Elisha; the words said from the cross begin with it. The two readings are both real.
Pronouncing Eli
EE-ly
Two syllables, first stressed. Hebrew stresses the last, eh-LEE.
Nicknames for Eli
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1916
- Most girls named
- 202444 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3490reached in 2004
- Change vs 2024
- −20.5%35 in 2025, from 44
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Eli in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Eli in Hebrew — same name
- Elí in Spanish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Elis among us
people named Eli are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 45,922 born in 2025 was named Eli
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Eli
- #4067
- Eli on the 2025 chart
- #726
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Eli went to 35 girls in 2025, but Elly, Elli and Ely are the same name said out loud. Together the 4 spellings went to 236, which makes it the 726th most-given girls’ name of the year — 3,341 places above the chart.
About 1 girl in 6,810 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 45,922 for Eli itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Lindee test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Eli's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Lindee climbed just as high around 1954, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Lindee's path sketches the road Eli is walking now.
Eli sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Eli is headed
Eli should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Eli beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Eli in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Three letters and two syllables, about as easy to write as a name gets.
- Two real Hebrew readings stand behind it.
- Read correctly on sight by every English speaker.
- It is far more common for boys and she will correct assumptions constantly.
- The stress differs between the English and Hebrew readings.
- Eli, Ellie and Ely are all close in an American ear.
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What they receive
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Eli
Feminine · #4067 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Elis are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,000 people named Eli are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Eli?
- Eli is one of 4 recorded spellings. Elly is the more common one — 129 births in 2025 against 35 for Eli.
- How popular is the name Eli in 2025?
- Eli ranks #4067 among US girl names in 2025, with 35 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Eli?
- About 1 in every 45,922 US girls born in 2025 was named Eli — 35 in all.
- Will my child share the name Eli with classmates?
- Eli will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Eli
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Peace#4067 · Medina#4067 · Darlin#4067 · Anja#4067 · Sparrow#4067 · Liani#4067 · Kaleigha#4067 · Salina#4067
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Eli? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Eli and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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