Eli

“Ascent” — Hebrew origin

Boy's name · #104 in the US (2025) · Comeback

Eli was #121 in 1881, slipped to #704 by 1964, climbed back to #43 by 2012, and currently stands at #104. About 153,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. A popular twin pairing with Eli is Ella for a girl.

Around the world: #47 in New Zealand (2025) · #64 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #69 in Canada (2024) · #83 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #89 in Australia (NSW) (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Elis

Eli Wallach — American actor (1915–2014)
Eli Whitney — American inventor (1765-1825)
Eli Cohen — Israeli spy (1924–1965)
Eli Roth — American filmmaker and actor
Eli Heckscher — Swedish historian and economist (1879–1952)

In stories & tradition

Eli — Books of Samuel
Eli (Liquid Snake) — Metal Gear
Eli Wallace — Stargate Universe

What Elis become

Among 927 notable people named Eli:

Business leaders appear 2.02× more often than among typical names — e.g. Eli Lilly, American pharmacist, Union Army officer, businessman, philanthropist.

Similar names: Isaac · Ellis · Riley · Silas · Elliot · Elias

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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