- Eli Name Origin: Hebrew
- Pronunciation: e-lie
- See what 32 people think about Eli
Eli Name Meaning
Meaning “ascension”, Eli has mimicked his meaning by climbing the charts steadily since the early 2000s. An ancient Hebrew name, Eli is a vintage pick that’s been winning over parents with his unique sound.
Like his longer friend Elijah, Eli is a Biblical name, appearing as a high priest and father to Samuel. He’s a lovely alternative to mega-popular Noah and Jacob, packing a boatload of style in his three letters. Despite his age, he’s still in-step with modern trends like vowel name starts and endings. He also has some cool factor left over from the action flick The Book of Eli.
He’s a short and sweet pick that’s easy to spell, ideal for a little one just learning to write his name. He’s an interesting choice with a sweet feel, similar to his Biblical friend Levi.
Little Eli is in-touch with his feelings, a sensitive soul with the biggest heart. He’s compassionate as can be and is always willing to lend a helping hand. Mature for his age, he’s one that people often turn to for advice and guidance, his wisdom stretching well beyond his years. He’s a bit of an old soul, interested in vintage finds from before his time.
Eli Name Popularity
How popular is the name Eli? Here’s everything we know.
| Year | Rank | # Births | % Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 358 | 20 | 0.0057% |
| 1911 | 354 | 27 | 0.0073% |
| 1912 | 304 | 108 | 0.0214% |
| 1913 | 337 | 109 | 0.0192% |
| 1914 | 323 | 164 | 0.0235% |
| 1915 | 337 | 207 | 0.0228% |
| 1916 | 320 | 230 | 0.0238% |
| 1917 | 375 | 185 | 0.0185% |
| 1918 | 337 | 244 | 0.0227% |
| 1919 | 380 | 194 | 0.0185% |
| 1920 | 384 | 205 | 0.0184% |
| 1921 | 359 | 236 | 0.0206% |
| 1922 | 369 | 225 | 0.0202% |
| 1923 | 380 | 203 | 0.0181% |
| 1924 | 385 | 210 | 0.0181% |
| 1925 | 347 | 244 | 0.0216% |
| 1926 | 352 | 238 | 0.0216% |
| 1927 | 410 | 180 | 0.0163% |
| 1928 | 421 | 162 | 0.0151% |
| 1929 | 443 | 138 | 0.0133% |
| 1930 | 444 | 140 | 0.0134% |
| 1931 | 458 | 116 | 0.0118% |
| 1932 | 424 | 138 | 0.014% |
| 1933 | 467 | 104 | 0.0112% |
| 1934 | 443 | 122 | 0.0126% |
| 1935 | 432 | 128 | 0.0132% |
| 1936 | 476 | 102 | 0.0106% |
| 1937 | 495 | 94 | 0.0095% |
| 1938 | 580 | 67 | 0.0065% |
| 1939 | 611 | 54 | 0.0053% |
| 1940 | 552 | 76 | 0.0072% |
| 1941 | 510 | 94 | 0.0084% |
| 1942 | 555 | 82 | 0.0065% |
| 1943 | 659 | 56 | 0.0043% |
| 1944 | 601 | 65 | 0.0052% |
| 1945 | 549 | 78 | 0.0064% |
| 1946 | 720 | 45 | 0.003% |
| 1947 | 597 | 90 | 0.0054% |
| 1948 | 602 | 81 | 0.0051% |
| 1949 | 669 | 63 | 0.0039% |
| 1950 | 615 | 80 | 0.005% |
| 1951 | 576 | 100 | 0.0059% |
| 1952 | 645 | 73 | 0.0042% |
| 1953 | 647 | 79 | 0.0045% |
| 1954 | 655 | 81 | 0.0044% |
| 1955 | 732 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 1956 | 613 | 110 | 0.0058% |
| 1957 | 692 | 74 | 0.0038% |
| 1958 | 710 | 66 | 0.0035% |
| 1959 | 690 | 79 | 0.0042% |
| 1960 | 677 | 85 | 0.0045% |
| 1961 | 647 | 100 | 0.0053% |
| 1962 | 679 | 83 | 0.0045% |
| 1963 | 668 | 92 | 0.0051% |
| 1964 | 692 | 79 | 0.0045% |
| 1965 | 701 | 66 | 0.004% |
| 1966 | 690 | 73 | 0.0047% |
| 1967 | 698 | 71 | 0.0047% |
| 1968 | 630 | 100 | 0.0067% |
| 1969 | 705 | 77 | 0.005% |
| 1970 | 552 | 171 | 0.0107% |
| 1971 | 492 | 225 | 0.015% |
| 1972 | 490 | 212 | 0.0156% |
| 1973 | 441 | 273 | 0.0211% |
| 1974 | 399 | 337 | 0.0259% |
| 1975 | 444 | 277 | 0.0216% |
| 1976 | 409 | 319 | 0.0248% |
| 1977 | 366 | 417 | 0.0309% |
| 1978 | 372 | 386 | 0.0287% |
| 1979 | 360 | 448 | 0.0318% |
| 1980 | 342 | 500 | 0.0342% |
| 1981 | 333 | 515 | 0.035% |
| 1982 | 359 | 462 | 0.0309% |
| 1983 | 350 | 479 | 0.0325% |
| 1984 | 359 | 466 | 0.0313% |
| 1985 | 345 | 506 | 0.0333% |
| 1986 | 339 | 535 | 0.0354% |
| 1987 | 367 | 486 | 0.0318% |
| 1988 | 371 | 499 | 0.032% |
| 1989 | 360 | 586 | 0.0363% |
| 1990 | 357 | 635 | 0.0383% |
| 1991 | 342 | 674 | 0.0414% |
| 1992 | 338 | 675 | 0.0423% |
| 1993 | 305 | 861 | 0.0552% |
| 1994 | 300 | 868 | 0.0566% |
| 1995 | 305 | 841 | 0.0558% |
| 1996 | 297 | 861 | 0.0575% |
| 1997 | 313 | 814 | 0.055% |
| 1998 | 288 | 966 | 0.0645% |
| 1999 | 277 | 1,035 | 0.0691% |
| 2000 | 232 | 1,449 | 0.0949% |
| 2001 | 213 | 1,619 | 0.1075% |
| 2002 | 196 | 1,914 | 0.1277% |
| 2003 | 191 | 1,960 | 0.1288% |
| 2004 | 159 | 2,516 | 0.1651% |
| 2005 | 152 | 2,681 | 0.1753% |
| 2006 | 136 | 2,979 | 0.1903% |
| 2007 | 129 | 3,233 | 0.2049% |
| 2008 | 99 | 4,505 | 0.2915% |
| 2009 | 90 | 4,910 | 0.3285% |
| 2010 | 65 | 6,557 | 0.455% |
| 2011 | 58 | 7,205 | 0.5057% |
| 2012 | 44 | 8,059 | 0.5655% |
| 2013 | 43 | 7,935 | 0.5573% |
| 2014 | 49 | 7,483 | 0.5136% |
| 2015 | 53 | 7,134 | 0.4903% |
| 2016 | 52 | 7,086 | 0.4915% |
| 2017 | 54 | 6,553 | 0.4695% |
| 2018 | 58 | 6,027 | 0.4387% |
| 2019 | 62 | 5,483 | 0.405% |
| 2020 | 59 | 5,107 | 0.4012% |
| 2021 | 64 | 4,868 | 0.3982% |
| 2022 | 69 | 4,585 | 0.3475% |
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Data via SSA.gov.
Names Like Eli
If you like Eli, you’ll love these other names like Eli.
What names are variants of Eli?
Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Eli.
| Name | Meaning | Origin | Popularity | Other Gender |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eleazar |
God is my help |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Elias |
My God is Yahweh |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Elie |
God is my help; high; the Lord is my God |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Elijah |
My God is Yahweh |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Elisha |
God is my salvation |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Elliot |
My God is Yahweh |
English |
|
|
| Elliott |
My God is Yahweh |
English |
|
|
| Ely |
High |
Hebrew |
|
What names sound like Eli?
If you like how Eli sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Eli.
| Name | Meaning | Origin | Popularity | Other Gender |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali |
Sublime |
Arabic |
|
|
| Elia |
The Lord is my God |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Eliu |
My God is He |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Levi |
Joined together |
Hebrew |
|
What names are similar to Eli?
Find a name that’s like Eli, but just a little bit different.
| Name | Meaning | Origin | Popularity | Other Gender |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel |
God is My Judge |
Hebrew |
|
|
| David |
Beloved |
Hebrew |
|
| Ezra |
Help |
Hebrew |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel |
God is my strength |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Isaac |
He will laugh |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Jacob |
Supplanter |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Joshua |
God is salvation |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Leo |
Lion |
Latin |
|
|
| Matthew |
Gift of God |
Hebrew |
|
|
| Samuel |
Name of God |
Hebrew |
|
Lists With Eli
Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Eli.
-
Little Boy Names for Your Darling Baby // 150 names
Little boy names aren’t afraid to declare they’re young, wild, and free. Check out our collection of these youngsters ready for adventure.
-
Australian Boy Names for Your Little Joey // 110 names
Travel down under on an epic adventure with the most popular Australian boy names. Check out this list of moniker mates, from timeless treasures to super surprises.
-
Jewish Boy Names to Honor Your Faith // 143 names
Jewish boy names are deeply devout yet stunningly handsome in sound and meaning. Explore our collection of these incredible monikers.
-
Western Boy Names for Your Rodeo Rider // 189 names
Western boy names offer unbridled style and vigor. From saddle-suited sweethearts to place names picks, we’ve got them all on this list.
-
Common Boy Names That Parents Love // 191 names
With great sounds, associations, and meanings, common boy names are popular with parents for a reason. Find out which popular pick might suit your sweet son on our list.
Siblings of Eli
Mamas with kids named Eli also have kids with these names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin | Popularity | Other Gender |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack |
God is gracious |
English |
|
|
| Lilian |
Lily |
Latin |
|
|
| Isabella |
Devoted to God |
Italian |
|
|
| Kai |
Sea |
Polynesian |
|
|
| Ian |
God is gracious |
Scottish |
|
|
| Italia |
Italy |
Italian |
|
|
| Samuel |
Name of God |
Hebrew |
|
32 Comments
Carrie
I really loved the name Elijah but my husband wasn’t quite going for it. So we settled on just Eli.
Alicia Richhart
Eli is a Hebrew name that means “high”, “elevated”, or “My god”. We chose his name to celebrate the gift that he is from God and what a wonderful thing it is to partake in God’s creation.
Alicia+Richhart
Eli is a Hebrew name that means “high”, “elevated”, or “My god”. We chose his name to celebrate the gift that he is from God and what a wonderful thing it is to partake in God’s creation.
Michelle
My husband and I just really liked the name and loved the combo with his middle name, Fox.
Sandi
Eli is short for Elias which means the Lord is my God
Chrisha
We chose the name Eli because our daughters name is Ellie and we just felt they went well together.
Aspen
My guy and I met working at a restaurant/bar 6 years ago, and we both still worked at the same place when I was pregnant. One night while we were working, we passed around little papers and a basket and asked our regulars and coworkers to put name suggestions in, and Eli was our favorite option. We continued looking for names, but never found one we liked more than Eli. We chose Taylor for his middle name, partly because it was a family name, and partly because it made his initials E.T
His dad and I have always loved aliens and all things about the stars and space so it was very fitting for us.
I love that his name is short and sweet. It isn’t short for anything- just Eli. It also means ascension, which I think is really cool. And it rhymes with a lot of things, so making up little songs to sing him is pretty easy. Lol!
Nayisha Cantave
I was in my stats class 8.5 years ago starting my junior year of college when the professor started the attendance for the first day. I wasn’t really paying attention as my last name was wilson and I was most likely last. So I just started texting my then boyfriend of 6 months (now husband) when the professor said the name Eli and my head snapped up. I don’t know why but it spoke to me and I knew it was our son’s name. I immediately texted my boyfriend at the time (now husband) and said what do you think of this name for our future son and he loved it too! 9 years later our baby boy Eli is now here
Anneke
Eli is a family name
Rachel
Loved it!
Bria
My husband’s name is El’Jay and we already had one son named Bryson. Bryson was basically named after me so we knew we wanted new baby to be named after daddy. We played around with a few names and got to Eli.
Tenay
I like the name Eli. It’s short, simple and easy to pronounce.
Anna
Eli means elevated or high and we wanted a meaningful name, but something that didn’t sound too biblical. We also had a lot of 3 letter names and this was the winner!
Lynn
Eli means ascension and is a prophetic name. It’s also an ideal mix of my husband’s name and mine, Eddy and Lynn.
Max
I love this name and it my boyfriend name ?
Samantha Hayward-Bannister
We named our son Elisha , as my husband wanted him to have a biblical name. He is now 15 and chooses to be called Eli, we love the shortened version, it is a strong name that we are frequently complimented on.
Camil
I just love the name
Camil
It’s a Bible name
Sierra
I love biblical names
Riley
Biblical
Karissa Walburg
We chose the name Eli because we liked that it sounded strong. My husband wanted Elijah but we would have called him Eli so we decided we would stick with just Eli.
Amesha
I loved it and picked it
Eli H
????? 3/5, takes too long for people to remember it. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND
Amesha
I loved the name since before he was born. It’s a very common name but nothing I dislike. He is an awesome kid!
Tee
I like his name and choose his name because i wanted a three letter name
DANIELLE
He’s my Eli Bear. Just a name my husband i came across and both agreed on.
Kristina
My husband liked Elijah but I didn’t. It also went well with Roman which is his middle name! Mainly I wanted a biblical name with no family ties to it.
Alexandra
My husband thinks I picked it from the Bible but I picked it from the show vampire diaries
Michelle
Before my son was conceived we had already chosen the name Eli as his first name. Once we learned I was pregnant we search for additional options and girl names and came up short. Eli is short, easy to spell and pronounce and fits with our last name. My husband and I are NY Giants Football fans, and the long time quarterback is Eli Manning. Although this may have been where we first heard the name, we didn’t name our son after our favorite sports team like most think.
Skie
Eli is such a sweet and simple name for a boy. We paired this name with River, for Eli River. I feel that it’s classic enough to go with John and jack, and with the middle name River, has the flowy sound to go with our daughter’s name, Khaleesi.
Jenny
My husband just was so in love with this name and was lukewarm on anything else. It’s a classic name that is timeless, easy to spell and pronounce, and can grow into a great adult name. We get compliments on it all the time, with people often saying it was on their “list.” We meet a couple other Eli’s here and there but it’s not too popular.
Sadie
We came across Eli and both me and my husband instantly loved it. I love it, it’s short and easy and fits our son perfectly. When he was first born, I sometimes wished I would of went with a name like Elijah or Elias and had Eli as a nickname but now that he is here and been Eli for a while, seems just perfect!