Hebrew eli, "ascension", also "my God" — ascended; my god. The high priest who raised the prophet Samuel.
Eli ranks 104th among American boys in 2025, with 3,453 born that year. Its best year was 2012, when 8,110 babies were given the name, ranking 43rd. The typical living American called Eli is about 13 years old today. It is relatively most common in Maine, where it accounts for 0.30% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.