Eli 1

Gender Masculine
Usage English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew
Scripts עֵלִי(Hebrew) Ἠλί(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced Pron. EE-lie(English)
  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Means "ascension" in Hebrew. 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

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   serious   nerdy  

Images

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

Categories

American Horror Story characters, inventors, never out of the US top 1000, Octavia E. Butler characters, pop music, Rick and Morty characters, The Flight Attendant characters, The Sopranos characters, trendy, Why Women Kill characters, Will and Grace characters
Entry updated May 29, 2020