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[Opinions] Eli, Elijah and Elisha
Thoughts on these for boys? The last one is pronounced eh-LIE-shah

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I really like Elisha, but I highly favor related Ilya.

This message was edited 3/29/2025, 3:16 PM

I like Eli and Elijah. I’m not fond of Elisha. I realize it’s a Biblical male name but I’ve always thought of it as feminine. I guess that’s because I knew a girl named Elisha and she pronounced it Uh LEE sha like a variant of Alicia.
I like all three names.
I like Elisha as eh-LEE-shah but not eh-LIE-shahEli is okay, I always read this as eh-leeElijah is eh, I do not really like dzh sound. Though I like my language versions of Elijah :) Illya, Ilya
Love Elijah nickname Eli.
Elisha just reminds me of Alisha and is therefore feminine to me. Sorry.
Elijah is my favorite of the three. The -jah ending is more satisfying to say than -sha. It sounds dependable but is also associated with a Biblical prophet who reminds me of a religious Merlin character. He's wise but also fierce, grand, and sort of eccentric. In the Bible, Elisha is Elijah's protegee. They are both prophets, but Elisha is a bit more subtle than Elijah, who did things with a flash and a touch of sarcasm. However, Elisha did make the bear curse, so he had a hardcore side. It's always the quiet ones. I like Eli as a nickname for Elisha or Elijah but not on its own. As a stand alone name, Eli makes me think of the Priest Eli in the Bible, who had two sons abusing their access to the temple that he did nothing to discipline.
Way too biblical for my taste. Eli would have to explain that it was his full name, not a nickname. I would have thought that Alicia is far enough away from Elisha to avoid confusion, but maybe it's a matter of dialect.
I like all three names and in fact have all three names in my family tree. Elijah and Elisha are brothers along with sisters Elizabeth and Eliza (yes I know). I always wondered what their second child did wrong as his names starts with a C. I do think though that any boy called Elisha now would likely get teased due to the popularity of Alicia for girls. I pronounce them differently though as I pronounce Alicia Alice-ee-a unless told otherwise.
Eli seems too nicknamey for a full name. Elijah is gorgeous and easily has the nickname Eli if you want. Elisha was ruined by Alicia.