Eli
Pronounced EH1 L IY0 (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 2012
- 145 years in use
- Biblical
- 4 spellings
How popular is Eli?
Eli is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 158,840 children — the 219th most common boys' name on record.
Its use has been broadly flat across the past two decades. Its best single year was 2012, when 8,274 children were given it.
Four other spellings are counted in that total — Ely, Elie, Ellie and one more — because they are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Eli and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Ely
- Elie
- Ellie
- Elly
Nicknames
Characteristics
- Biblical (Person)
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- EH1 L IY0 · IY1 L AY0
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 10
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Eli
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Eli
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Eli?
- Eli ranks 219th among boys' names in US records, with 158,840 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 56,389.
- Is Eli a unisex name?
- No. Eli is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Eli most popular?
- 2012, when 8,274 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Eli spelled?
- Ely, Elie, Ellie, Elly. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.