Eli as a name has two different meanings, both originating in the Hebrew Bible.
Eli can be used for males (Hebrew tradition) or females (Scandinavian tradition). Hebrew origin, from Biblical "ascent", spelled with the Hebrew letter ayin in the beginning, the name of Eli, the high priest in the Books of Samuel. It is identical to the Arabic name Ali (علي). It came to be used as a given name among the Puritans in the 17th century and was by them taken to the American colonies.Royal Ralph Hinman,A catalogue of the names of the first Puritan settlers of the colony of Connecticut, 1846, p. 169 mentions one Eli Bush, born 1741. David Pickering, The Penguin Book of Baby Names, Penguin, 2009. See also babynamespedia.com.
Eli may alternatively be an unrelated abbreviation of Hebrew names such as Elijah, Elias, Elisha, Eliezer, Elimelech, etc., all containing the element , meaning "my God" and spelled with the Hebrew letter aleph in the beginning. El is the name of a Semitic deity that is used in the Bible as a name for the god of the Israelites, and -i is the suffix for the genitive form ("mine").
In the United States, the popularity of the given name Eli was hovering around rank 200 in the 1880s. It declined gradually during the late 19th and early-to-mid 20th centuries, falling below rank 700 in 1964. In a significant revival of the name's popularity in the early 1970s, it bounced back above rank 400 in 1976. Its popularity has continued to grow since then, entering the top 100 masculine given names in the 2000s, and ranking as the 64th most popular boys' name as of 2021.behindthename.com
Eli is also a short form of names Elisabet, Elin, and Helena in Scandinavia,Eli – kvinnenavn, Store Norske Leksikon, visited 20 May 2009 unrelated to the masculine Hebrew name Eli. The two names differ in pronunciation as well.
Given name Male Eli Abaev (born 1998), American-Israeli basketball player Eli Abarbanel (born 1976), Israeli retired footballer Eli Abbott (1869–1943), American college football player, and college football- and baseball coach Eli Adams (born 2002), Australian professional soccer player Eli Adashi (born 1945), American-Israeli physician, scientist, and professor Eli Aflalo (born 1952), Israeli politician Eli Alaluf (1945–2026), Israeli politician Eli Almi (1892–1963), Polish-born Jewish-American poet, journalist, essayist, and mystic Eli Alon (born 1945), Israeli physician and anesthesiologist Eli Alva Helmick (1863–1945), American Army officer Eli Amir (born 1937), Iraqi-born Israeli writer, civil servant, and peace activist Eli Ankou (born 1994), Canadian professional football player Eli Apple (born 1995), American NFL player Eli Arenson (born 1988), Israeli cinematographer Eli Ashurst (1901–1927), English professional footballer Eli Attie, American writer, producer, and former White House staff member Eli Avidar (born 1964), Israeli former politician Eli Avramov (?–2015), Israeli past member of new wave band HaClique Eli Ayers (1778–1822), American-born Liberian medical doctor and governor Eli Azur (born 1958), Israeli businessman Eli B. Ames (1820–1898), American lawyer, postmaster, judge, and mayor Eli Babalj (born 1992), Bosnian-born Australian footballer Eli Baker (born 2001), American actor Eli Balas, Israeli professional poker player Eli Balilty (born 1994), Israeli footballer Eli Baptist (1820–1905), American abolitionist Eli Barkai, Israeli Jewish professor of physics Eli Barnes, African-American slave-turned politician Eli Baruch Shulman (born 1959), American Orthodox Jewish rabbi Eli Batalion, Canadian actor Eli Bauer (1928–1998), American animation layout- and story man, and comics artist Eli Baxter (born 1954), Canadian writer Eli Bebout (born 1946), American athlete and politician Eli Beeding (1928–2013), American Air Force captain and rocket test subject Eli Beer (born 1973), Israeli social entrepreneur and emergency medical services innovator Eli Ben-Dahan (born 1954), Israeli Orthodox Jewish rabbi and politician Eli Ben-Menachem (born 1947), Israeli former politician Eli Bennett (born 1989), Canadian jazz saxophonist and film composer Eli Ben Rimoz (born 1944), Israeli former international footballer Eli Ben-Sasson, Israeli computer scientist and former professor Eli Bentley (1752–1822), American silversmith and clockmaker Eli ben Yehudah ha-Nazir, 10th-century Middle Easter grammarian, philologist, and teacher Eli Berman (born 1960), Canadian-born Jewish American scientist, writer, and professor of economics Eli Biham (born 1960), Israeli cryptographer, cryptanalyst, and professor Eli Blu (born 1961), American former professional wrestler Eli Boggs (?–1861), American pirate Eli Bornstein (born 1922), American-born Canadian artist and teacher Eli Bouchard (born 2007), Canadian snowboarder Eli Bowen (1844–1924), American circus- and sideshow performer Eli Bowen (American football) (born 2005), American college football player Eli Bradley (1883–?), English footballer Eli Bremer (born 1978), American Olympic modern pentathlete and politician Eli Broad (1933–2021), American billionaire businessman, philanthropist, and art collector Eli Brooks (born 1998), American professional basketball player Eli Brown (born 1999), American actor Eli Bush, American film- and theatre producer, and former executive Eli C. D. Shortridge (1830–1908), American politician Eli Cabrera (1957–2024), Northern Mariana Islands politician Eli Campbell (born 2004), English professional footballer Eli Capilouto (born 1949), American Jewish dentistry academic Eli Cara, Israeli criminal in the 2004 Israel–New Zealand passport scandal Eli Carlos (1954–2020), Brazilian professional footballer and manager Eli Carr (born 2001), American-born Puerto Rican footballer Eli Carter (born 1991), American professional basketball player Eli Cashdan (1905–1998), Belarusian-born British Orthodox Jewish rabbi, and Royal Air Force chaplain during World War II Eli Cates (1877–1964), American MLB pitcher Eli Caven (born 1996), English rugby union player Eli Chaim Carlebach (1925–1990), American Orthodox Jewish rabbi Eli Chesen (1944–2023), American psychiatrist, author, and artist Eli Chism (1916–1982), American Negro league baseball player Eli Clare (born 1963), American writer, activist, educator, and speaker Eli Clark, American past member of rock band Fit for Rivals Eli Cohen (disambiguation), several people Eli Coleman (born 1948), American psychologist, sexologist, and professor emeritus Eli Cook (1814–1865), American mayor Eli Cook (musician) (born 1986), American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer Eli Corrêa Filho (born 1976), Brazilian politician and radio personality Eli Cottonwood (born 1974), American retired professional wrestler Eli Cox (born 2000), American NFL player Eli Craig, American film director, screenwriter, and actor; son of actress Sally Field Eli Crane (born 1980), American politician, businessman, and former Navy SEAL Eli Cranor (born 1988), American author and former professional footballer Eli Crognale (born 1997), American retired professional soccer player Eli Cross, several people Eli Culley (1840–1890), English-born American politician Eli D. Hoyle (1851–1921), American Army brigadier general during World War I Eli Danker (born 1948), Israeli actor; father of actor, singer, and model Ran Danker Eli Dasa (born 1992), Israeli professional footballer Eli Davies (?–?), Welsh professional rugby league footballer during the 1900s Eli Davis (1855–?), English footballer Eli Dawe (1843–1930), Canadian merchant and politician Eli Dayan (born 1949), Israeli former politician Eli Degibri (born 1978), Israeli jazz saxophonist, composer, and arranger Eli Dellal (born 1955), Israeli politician Eli Dershwitz (born 1995), American Olympic saber fencer Eli Dodson (1828–1921), American lawyer, Confederate Army officer, state legislator, and judge; served in the American Civil War Eli Drake, alternate name of LA Knight (born 1982), American professional wrestler Eli Driks (born 1964), Israeli Jewish former footballer Eli Durante, Brazilian retired NASL player Eli Eban (born 1950), Israeli-American clarinetist; son of diplomat and politician Abba Eban Eli Eduardo de Gortari (1918–1991), Mexican logician, philosopher of science, and engineer Eli Elbaz (born 1992), Israeli footballer Eli El-Chantiry (born 1957), Canadian former politician Eli Elezra (born 1960), Israeli professional poker player and businessman Eli Ellis (1948–2025), Australian Olympic sports shooter Eli Eshed, Israeli researcher of popular culture Eli Evankovich (born 1982), American former politician Eli F. Peckumn (1873–1953), American college football player and coach Eli Faber (1943–2020), American professor of history Eli Feldstein (born 1992), Israeli spokesperson and military officer Eli Fenichel, American economist and university professor Eli Finish (born 1975), Israeli Jewish actor, stand-up comedian, and impressionist Eli Fletcher (1887–1954), English footballer Eli Frank Hollingsworth (1892–1964), American attorney and Supreme Court justice Eli Franklin Burton (1879–1948), Canadian physicist Eli Friedman (born 1933), American nephrologist and academic Eli Fromm (1939–2025), American electrical engineer and professor emeritus Eli Fuchs (1924–1992), Israeli international footballer and manager Eli Fuller (born 1972), Antigua and Barbuda Olympic windsurfer Eli Gabay (born 1959), Canadian actor Eli Galbraith-Knapp (born 1991), American professional soccer player Eli Gardner (born 1986), American football coach Eli Garner (born 1991), American soccer player Eli Gerstner (born 1980), American Orthodox Jewish singer, songwriter, and producer Eli Geva (born 1950), Israeli commander Eli Gillman (born 2003), American college football player Eli Gindi, American Jewish real estate developer, investor, and businessman Eli Ginsberg (1981–2023), Israeli lieutenant colonel Eli Ginzberg (1911–2002), American Jewish professor of economics Eli Gold (born 1953), American sportscaster and author Eli Goldschmidt (born 1953), Israeli former politician Eli Goldston (1920–1974), American business leader and spokesman Eli Goodman (born 1971), American film- and television actor Eli Goree (born 1994), Canadian actor Eli Gorenstein (born 1952), Israeli actor, voice actor, director, singer, and cellist Eli Gottlieb, American Jewish novelist Eli Grba (1934–2019), American MLB pitcher Eli Green, South Australian member of alternative metal band The Mark of Cain (band) Eli Greenbaum, American herpetologist and evolutionary biologist Eli Gross (1939–1996), Israeli graphic designer and typographer Eli Guttman (born 1958), Israeli former footballer and manager Eli Hall, Jamaican-born British nightclub doorman; perpetrator of the Hackney siege Eli Harari (born 1945), Israeli-American business executive Eli Harold (born 1994), American former NFL player Eli Harvey (1860–1957), American sculptor, painter, and animalier Eli Hawks (1829–1900), American politician and businessman Eli HaZe'ev (?–1980), American-born Israeli ultranationalist settler, Vietnam War veteran, and victim of the 1980 Hebron attack Eli Heckscher (1879–1952), Swedish political economist, economic historian, and professor Eli Heidenreich (born 2003), American NFL player Eli Heimans (1861–1914), Dutch nature educator and conservationist Eli Herring (born 1969), American college athlete- and high school sports coach, and Mormon missionary Eli Hirsch (born 1938), American philosopher and professor Eli Hodkey (1917–2005), American MLB pitcher Eli Holman (born 1989), American IBSL player Eli Holstein (born 2004), American college football player Eli Holzman (born 1974), American creator–developer, writer, producer, and television executive Eli Houston Murray (1843–1896), American politician, newspaper editor, and anti-Mormon; Union Army colonel during the American Civil War Eli Hunt (1953–2014), Native American leader and politician