Eli

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Ili in SE Sweden and Ელი in GE Georgia.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 17 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Eli is also recorded as 7 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name414K records spelled Eli57 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Brazil, Australia, Canada

  Languages: English, Norwegian, German

  Also written Elí, Elî, El-I, Éli, Elì

• Indonesian given name47K records spelled Eli9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, Spain, United States, Kyrgyzstan

  Also written Elí, 'Eli, Elî, Éĺì, Ëlî

• Hebrew given name32K records spelled Eli49 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Israel, United States, Morocco, Qatar

  Also written אלי, עלי, אילי, עילי, Ali

• Norwegian Bokmål given name28K records spelled Eli8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Norway, Denmark, United States, Sweden

  Languages: Norwegian Bokmål, Danish, Swedish

  Also written Éli, Elî, Elí

• a separate given name21K records spelled Eli9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Ecuador, India, Israel

  Also written Elí, Éli, Élî, Elî, Èli

• Hindi given name6.6K records spelled Eli5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, Spain, Israel

  Languages: Hindi, Urdu

  Also written Elí, Èlì

• Azerbaijani given name5.8K records spelled Eli11 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, United States

  Languages: Azerbaijani, Turkish

  Also written Ely, Ili, Elì, Elí, Ëĺî

77 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Eli is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In Hebrew, Hebrew 'height' or 'the exalted'; name of the priest/judge Eli.

  as a name·Diccionario etimológico de nombres propios

• Eli represents the end of an era and the consequences of failing to discipline one's household, even for a righteous leader.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• Biblical name, from a Hebrew word meaning ‘height’. This was borne by the priest and judge who brought up the future prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 4). It was especially popular among Puritans in the 17th century.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In English, A male given name from Hebrew of Biblical origin.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Latin, Elijah; Toledo

  as a name·Dicionario Sefaradi De SobrenomesDictionary Of Sephardic Surnames Inclusive Cristaos-Novos, Conversos, Marranos, Italianos,…

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Ibn Hazmb. 994ESnot in their usual nameAndalusian Muslim polymath, historian, jurist, philosopher and theologian (994–1064)
• Eli Whitneyb. 1765USAmerican inventor (1765-1825)
• Eli Wallachb. 1915USAmerican actor (1915–2014)
• Eli Cohenb. 1924EGIsraeli spy (1924–1965)
• Eugene Garfieldb. 1925USnot in their usual nameAmerican information and library scientist (1925–2017)
• Gil Kaneb. 1926USnot in their usual nameAmerican comic book artist (1926–2000)
• Eli Rothb. 1972USAmerican filmmaker and actor
• Eli Manningb. 1981USAmerican football player (born 1981)
• Ben Rappaportb. 1986USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor
• Eli Marienthalb. 1986USAmerican actor

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 1,485 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Eli?

We estimate roughly 177 thousand people bear Eli (counting its spellings and scripts) across 15 countries in our records.

In which country does Eli have the most bearers?

We estimate about 121 thousand people bear Eli in the United States, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled eli.

Where is Eli most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Eli is densest in Iceland — about 1 in 447 people — even though United States holds more of our records for it.

How common is Eli compared with other names?

In Honduras, Eli is the 251st most common given name of 23,431 given names recorded there.

Is Eli a male or female name?

Eli is recorded for both men and women. We don't publish a percentage split: a record's gender belongs to the person and is attached to every given name on that record, so names in cultures where a name string also carries a parent's or spouse's given name pick up large cross-gender counts.

What does the name Eli mean?

Recorded meaning: A biblical name meaning 'ascended' or 'high', often associated with mentorship and priesthood.