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Eli

Heart
Hebrew
"ascended, uplifted, high"

Eli Origin and Meaning

The name Eli is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "ascended, uplifted, high".

Eli derives from the Hebrew ’aly, meaning "high." In the Old Testament, Eli was the high priest and last judge of Israel, who trained the prophet Samuel. While Eli is a full name on its own, it can be a shortened form of Elijah, Elias, Eliezer, or even Elliot. Eli is used as a feminine name—most often as a nickname for Elisabet or Elin—in some Scandinavian countries.

Eli—a solid Biblical name with lots of spirit and energy—shot up the popularity charts in the 90's and 00's, but has plateaued a bit in popularity since.

CNN anchor Campbell Brown and SNL alum Rachel Dratch chose Eli for their baby boys.

# 69 in the US

Eli Rank in US Top 1000

# 120 on Nameberry

Eli Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Eli Popularity

20 Names Similar to Eli

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Famous People Named Eli

  • Elisha Nelson "Eli" ManningAmerican NFL football player; brother of football players Peyton and Cooper Manning
  • Eli Raphael RothAmerican actor and director
  • Eli WhitneyAmerican inventor
  • Eli Herschel WallachAmerican actor
  • Eli LongAmerican Civil War general
  • Eli Charles Daniel ShortridgeAmericna politician; 3rd governor of North Dakota, USA
  • Eli Metcalfe BruceAmerican Confederate Congressman
  • Eli Jones HenkleU.S. Congressman from Maryland
  • Eli ThayerU.S. Congressman from Massachusetts
  • Eli May SaulsburyU.S. Senator from Delaware
  • Elijah "Eli" Levi DaleYouTuber from The Dale Tribe family vloggers
  • Eli James Vonnegut (b. 1980)son of Mark Vonnegut; grandson of novelist Kurt Vonnegut
  • Eli Alistair Stephens (b. 2007)son of actors Toby Stephens and Anna,Louise Plowman
  • Eli James Senor (b. 2007)son of TV journalist Campbell Brown and Daniel Samuel Senor
  • Eli Samuel Weisman (b. 2008)son of actor Kevin Weisman
  • Eli DavidLloyd, son of actor Gareth David,Lloyd
  • Eli Benjamin Wahl (b. 2010)son of comedienne Rachel Dratch and John Wahl
  • Eli Christopher Ivery (b. 2016)son of actress Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery

Eli in Pop Culture

  • Eli Goldsworthycharacter on TV's "Degrassi: The Next Generation"
  • Eli Sammlercharacter on TV's "Once and Again"
  • Eli Lloydnurse on TV's "Grey's Anatomy"
  • Eli Cottonmouthcharacter in movie "Dog Days of Summer"
  • Elicharacter on TV's "Xena: Warrior Princess"
  • Elicharacter in "Not a Drop to Drink" by Mindy McGinnis
  • Eli "Weevil" Navarrocharacter on TV's "Veronica Mars"
  • Eli Davidfather of Ziva David on TV's "NCIS"
  • Elisong by Bosnian Rainbows
  • Eli StoneTV Show
  • Eli Lokercharacter on TV's 'Lie To Me'
  • Eli Yanakakismain protagonist in the Compound novels
  • Elijah Leslie "Eli" Pepperjackcharacter in the Netflix series "Trollhunters"
  • Eli Casha character in The Royal Tenenbaums
  • Eli Mooncharacter in the anime/manga "Cardcaptors"