How Many People Are Named Eli?
An estimated 140,722 people in the United States have the first name Eli. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #382 overall. It is predominantly male (99.3%). The average bearer is 17 years old, and Eli peaked in popularity in 2012 with 8,107 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Eli as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Eli paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Eli is overwhelmingly male, 982 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Eli is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 17, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
140,722
About 1 in 2,436 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.3% confidence
Average Age
17
years old
Peak Year
2012
8,107 births
Total Registered
150,972
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Eli
Eli is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 150,972 total births registered, 99.3% were male.
Eli as a male name
Ranked #92 in 2024
3,723 male births in 2024
Peak: 2012 (8,076 births)
Eli as a female name
Ranked #3,515 in 2024
44 female births in 2024
Peak: 2024 (44 births)
Eli: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Eli span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 70,184 babies were registered. While Eli is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Eli by Decade
How has Eli tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 721 | 721 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 492 | 492 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 483 | 483 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 1,997 | 1,991 | 6 | |
| 1920s | 2,532 | 2,520 | 12 | |
| 1930s | 1,592 | 1,592 | 0 | |
| 1940s | 1,288 | 1,288 | 0 | |
| 1950s | 1,346 | 1,346 | 0 | |
| 1960s | 1,328 | 1,323 | 5 | |
| 1970s | 3,652 | 3,610 | 42 | |
| 1980s | 5,539 | 5,455 | 84 | |
| 1990s | 8,692 | 8,560 | 132 | |
| 2000s | 28,235 | 28,019 | 216 | |
| 2010s | 70,184 | 69,871 | 313 | |
| 2020s | 22,891 | 22,719 | 172 | |
Eli by State
Birth registrations for Eli span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Delaware, Wyoming, Rhode Island. On average, about 2,824 Elis were registered per state.
Eli + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Eli as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Eli
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
Eli: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eli?
We estimate approximately 140,722 people named Eli are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,436 Americans share this first name.
Is Eli a common name?
Eli is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 150,972 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Eli most popular?
Eli reached peak popularity in 2012, when 8,107 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Eli is approximately 17 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Eli a male name?
Eli is predominantly male. 99.3% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Eli Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Eli Smith, Eli Johnson, Eli Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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