Total births
153,495
Boys' name · since 1880
Eli
153,495 babies named Eli in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2012. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #92
- among boys today
- 153,495
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.4%
- more common than other boys
153,495 babies have been named Eli since 1880, making it today's #92 boys' name.
Eli has 153,495 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #92 as of the latest data, more common than 99.4% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #92 among boys today
- 153,495 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 99.4% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Eli is currently the #92 boys' name in America, more common than 99.4% of boys - 153,495 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #92
- among boys today
- 153,495
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.4%
- more common than other boys
Eli vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#92
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99.4% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
46% of everyone ever named Eli was born in this single decade.
2012
Single peak year
8,079 babies were named Eli in 2012 - its busiest year on record.
How Eli compares
153,495 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Eli's all-time total is 418x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Eli | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 153,495 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 8,079 | 23 | 22,252 |
Eli's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Eli's full recorded timeline at 1953, 94% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 6% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1899, with just 38 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2012 peak of 8,079 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Eli at a glance
Top 100 boys' namePeak year
2012
Current rank
#92
Active since
1880
Eli popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2012)
- 8,079
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Eli popularity over time - girls
1,017 total births recorded since 1916 (Eli as girls' name)
Eli by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Eli's strongest decade.
69,900 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Eli births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 721
1880s
721 births
- 1890s 492
1890s
492 births
- 1900s 483
1900s
483 births
- 1910s 1,991
1910s
1,991 births
- 1920s 2,520
1920s
2,520 births
- 1930s 1,592
1930s
1,592 births
- 1940s 1,288
1940s
1,288 births
- 1950s 1,346
1950s
1,346 births
- 1960s 1,323
1960s
1,323 births
- 1970s 3,610
1970s
3,610 births
- 1980s 5,455
1980s
5,455 births
- 1990s 8,562
1990s
8,562 births
- 2000s
2000s
28,043 births
- 2010s
2010s
69,900 births
- 2020s 26,169
2020s
26,169 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 69,900 births (46% of all-time use).
How Eli compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Eli's total volume
Eli vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Eli by state
Where Eli concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 15,123 | 9.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 13,639 | 8.9% |
| #3 | New York | | 9,949 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 6,486 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 6,414 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Florida | | 6,297 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 4,843 | 3.2% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 4,731 | 3.1% |
California share of Eli's total US births 9.9%
Even split
15,123 of 153,495 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Eli appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Eli? ▼
153,495 babies have been named Eli since 1880. It currently ranks #92 among boys. The peak year was 2012 with 8,079 births.
When was Eli most popular? ▼
Eli was most popular in the 2010s decade with 69,900 total births. The single peak year was 2012.
Where is Eli most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Eli are California (15,123 births), Texas (13,639 births), New York (9,949 births).
How long has the name Eli been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Eli since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Eli? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elijah, Elias, Elisha, Elian, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Eli's data
- Eli's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (69,900 total births) through the 2020s (26,169) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Elis (15,123 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Eli
Nearby Names Like Eli
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Eli
Elijah Boy
#8 380,611 births
Elias Boy
#25 129,263 births
Elisha Boy
#846 15,668 births
Elian Boy
#237 15,268 births
Eliseo Boy
#629 11,996 births
Compare Eli side by side: Eli vs Elijah Eli vs Elias Eli vs Elisha
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Eli
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Eli: #92 Boys' Name - 153,495 Births, Peak 2012." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/eli. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Eli draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.