Eli
EE-ly
The name Eli is the English form of the Hebrew Eli, meaning “ascended, high, exalted”, from the Hebrew root alah (“to go up”). It belongs to the same family of names as Elijah and Elisha, though it has a distinct Hebrew spelling.
As an independent name it has been used since biblical antiquity; in modern English it also functions as a short form of Elijah, Eliezer, Elias, and Elliot.
The decisive biblical bearer is Eli the Priest, last of the Israelite judges, who served at the sanctuary of Shiloh and raised the prophet Samuel, as recorded in 1 Samuel 1-4.
What the name Eli means
His tragic death upon hearing of the capture of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistines, around 1050 BCE, is one of the most poignant episodes in the Hebrew Bible.
The name was used by Jewish communities throughout the medieval period and was adopted by English Puritans in the seventeenth century.
In American culture the name has been carried by inventor Eli Whitney (1765-1825), whose cotton gin of 1793 reshaped the economy of the southern United States. The Marvel Cinematic Universe features Eli Bradley as a young Captain America.
The Hughes brothers” film The Book of Eli (2010), starring Denzel Washington as a wandering carrier of the last Bible in a post-apocalyptic America, gave the name renewed cultural visibility.
Pet Sematary by Stephen King also features a child named Eli (Ellie).
According to US Social Security Administration records, Eli appeared in the top 200 in the late nineteenth century, drifted in the 400s and 500s through the mid-twentieth century, then began a sharp climb in the late 1990s.
It broke the top 100 in 2002 and reached its current position at rank 49 in 2023. Adoption is broad, with particular strength in the Midwest, Texas and Mountain West among Christian and Jewish families.
Contemporary bearers include NFL quarterback Eli Manning, two-time Super Bowl winner, and the rapper Eli Sostre.
US popularity over time
Numerology and symbolism
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Famous people named Eli
Eli - similar names
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