Primarily a boy's name · 97% boys
Origin: ItalianEli as a name has two different meanings, both originating in the Hebrew Bible. Eli can be used for males or females. Hebrew origin, from Biblical עֵלִי "ascent", spelled with the Hebrew letter ayin in the beginning, the name of Eli, the high priest in the Books of Samuel.
From Wikipedia
In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Eli yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.
Three letters and it carries like a full name. Eli Manning, Eli the prophet — it's been in use for thousands of years. We liked that small package, big history quality to it.
— Aaron, Green Bay WI, 2017
My Hebrew name is Eliyahu. When my son was born I wanted to give him a version of that but make it liveable in American schools. Eli is the version that exists in both places.
— David, Chicago IL, 2019
Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.
→ See names similar to Eli · Compare Eli with another name → · Popular names of the 2010s · Boys names starting with E
Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 31 | #552 |
| 1997 | 32 | #556 |
| 1998 | 39 | #503 |
| 1999 | 41 | #492 |
| 2000 | 33 | #571 |
| 2001 | 42 | #488 |
| 2002 | 39 | #535 |
| 2003 | 48 | #502 |
| 2004 | 81 | #363 |
| 2005 | 65 | #440 |
| 2006 | 89 | #387 |
| 2007 | 104 | #352 |
| 2008 | 120 | #326 |
| 2009 | 134 | #308 |
| 2010 | 248 | #206 |
| 2011 | 350 | #164 |
| 2012 | 402 | #145 |
| 2013 | 440 | #134 |
| 2014 | 513 | #124 |
| 2015 | 538 | #119 |
| 2016 | 619 | #105 |
