Gender Masculine
Scripts עֵלִי(Hebrew) Ἠλί, Ἡλί(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced Pron. /ˈi.laɪ/(English)  [key·simplify]

Meaning & History

Means "ascension" in Hebrew, a derivative of עָלָה (ʿala) meaning "to ascend". In the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament he is a high priest of the Israelites. He took the young Samuel into his service and gave him guidance when God spoke to him. Because of the misdeeds of his sons, Eli and his descendants were cursed to die before reaching old age.

Eli has been used as an English Christian given name since the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer was the American inventor of the cotton gin Eli Whitney (1765-1825).

Related Names

Rootʿala
VariantEly(English)
Other Languages & CulturesHeli(Biblical Latin) Eeli(Finnish)
Same Spelling'Elî, Eli 2, Eli 3
User SubmissionsÉli, Êli, Eli

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   natural   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   simple  

Images

Depiction of Eli and Samuel by John Singleton Copley (1780)Depiction of Eli and Samuel by John Singleton Copley (1780)

Categories

Sources & References

  1. Strong, James. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, entry g2242, available from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=g2242.
  2. Strong, James. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, entry h5941, available from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=h5941.
Entry updated October 6, 2024