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At a Glance: Name: Eli – Meaning: ascended, one who rises high – Origin: Hebrew – Gender: Boy – Pronunciation: EE-ly
Eli is a Hebrew boy's name with a meaning of 'ascended' or 'one who rises high,' pronounced EE-ly. You'll often see it described as short for Elijah or Elias, meaning 'my God is Yahweh' — but that's not accurate; Eli's own root traces to the Hebrew word for 'ascent,' even though it's commonly used as a nickname for those longer names.
Meaning & Origin of Eli
Meaning: Ascended, one who rises high.
Origin: Hebrew.
A common claim: Eli is often assumed to mean 'my God is Yahweh', as a short form of Elijah/Elias. Actually: Eli's own attested root is Hebrew for 'ascent' ('one who rises high'); it isn't actually a contraction of Elijah or Elias, even though it's commonly used that way.
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Eli
Phonetic: EE-ly IPA: /ˈiːlaɪ/
Popularity of Eli
Eli peaked at #43 in 2012 with 8,076 babies given the name, and has since settled to #92 in 2024 with 3,723 — still a well-used name, just past its high point.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.
Make Eli Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Eli, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Eli mean?
Ascended, one who rises high. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Eli)
How do you pronounce Eli?
Eli is pronounced EE-ly (IPA: /ˈiːlaɪ/).
Is Eli a popular name right now?
Eli peaked at #43 in 2012 and is ranked #92 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)
📊 How popular is Eli? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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