Ely

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 2 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◐

Ely is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name200K records spelled Ely18 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Philippines, Venezuela, Brazil

  Languages: English, German, Western Frisian

  Also written Ély, Ëly, Ëlŷ, Ëlý, Èly

• Indonesian given name17K records spelled Ely5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, Philippines, United States, Spain

  Languages: Indonesian, Malay

  Also written 'Ely, Ėly, Elý

• French given name15K records spelled Ely13 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, Philippines, United States, Belgium

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Ély, Elÿ, Êly, Elý, Élý

• a separate given name4.5K records spelled Ely2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Ecuador, United Kingdom, Canada

  Also written Ély

• Thai given name1.2K records spelled Ely81 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Thailand, Laos, United States, Philippines

  Languages: Thai, Lao

  Also written อุลัย, อาลัย, อุไล, Ulai, Alai

68 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●

Ely 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 English, from OFr Elie 'Elijah' or from Ely, Cambridgeshire; first attested Hely de Amandeuilla 1150–60

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In English, island in the fens N of Cambridge. It is so called from OE al eel + ge district. Var.: Ellson. Vars.: Eley, Eal(e)y, Eely.

  as a name·The Oxford Names Companion - The definitive guide to Surnames, First Names, and Place Names of the British Isles

• In English, island in the fens N of Cambridge. It is so called from OE cel eel + ge district. Vars. : Eley, Eal(e)y, Eely.

  as a name·A dictionary of surnames

• In English, A cathedral city and civil parish (served by City of Ely Council) in East Cambridgeshire district, Cambridgeshire, England.

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

• Deus é meu; God is mine

  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) — 131 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●

• Alfred Ely Beachb. 1826USAmerican businessman (1826–1896)
• Ely Samuel Parkerb. 1828USUnion Army officer and a Commissioner of Indian Affairs (1828-1895)
• Ely Jacques Kahnb. 1884USAmerican architect (1884–1972)
• Ely Culbertsonb. 1891USAmerican contract bridge entrepreneur (1891–1955)
• Ely Jacques Kahn, Jr.b. 1916USAmerican journalist (1916–1994)
• Ely A. Landaub. 1920USAmerican film producer (1920–1993)
• Alí Primerab. 1941VEnot in their usual nameVenezuelan musician (1941–1985)
• Ely Ould Mohamed Vallb. 1953MRMauritanian President (1953-2017)
• Ely Galleanib. 1953ITItalian actress, active years 1970 to 1978
• Ely Pougetb. 1961USAmerican actress and model

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 · 711 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Ely?

We estimate roughly 12 thousand people bear Ely (counting its spellings and scripts) across 10 countries in our records.

In which country does Ely have the most bearers?

Ely is most frequently recorded in Venezuela, where it is most often spelled ely.

How common is Ely compared with other names?

In Venezuela, Ely is the 892nd most common given name of 213,120 given names recorded there.

Is Ely a male or female name?

Ely 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 Ely mean?

Recorded meaning: ‘person from Ely’, Cambridgeshire; ‘district where eels are found’