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Boy · Hebrew
Eli
Say it: EE-ly
Meaning
Hebrew Eli, usually read as 'ascended, high'.
Likelythe main view, with some doubt.
Used by Puritans and popular again in the 21st century, also as a short form of Elijah and Elias.
Its wave through time
A revival, back after decades away
In the United States
- 133,036 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 2012, about 1 in 235 boys
- 5,239 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The Biblical WorldAbout 1200 BC to AD 100
- The Colonial Americas1500 to 1800
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
| French | Éli |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Elí |
| Italian | Eli |
| German | Eli |
| Hebrew | Eli |
Famous bearers
- Eli, priest who raised Samuel
- Eli Whitney, American inventor
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
- Puritan church and town records of England and New England
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.