Unisex name · since 1880

Ely

Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 4,471 babies named Ely, peaking in 2009. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#1,919 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,643 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,471
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade

Yes -- Ely is the #2643 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 4,471 recorded since 1880.

Ely has 4,471 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2643 as of the latest data, more common than 81% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- 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.

  • #1,919 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #2,643 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 4,471 born since 1880
  • 2000s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ely ranks #1,919 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,643 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 4,471 born since 1880, peaking in the 2000s.

#1,919 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,643 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
4,471
born since 1880
2000s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%81%
Ely vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Ely's 4,471 recorded births place it above 95.77% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

26 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

26 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Ely compares

4,471 Top 14% higher than 86% of 13,930 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

Ely's all-time total is 12x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Ely Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 4,471 369 358,536
Peak-year births 159 34 22,252

Ely's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Ely's full recorded timeline at 1958, 84% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 16% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2009 peak of 159 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Ely popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2009)
159
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
050100150200 188019081926194419621980199720142025 49

Ely popularity over time - girls

616 total births recorded since 1918 (Ely as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 616 births
010203040 191819901995200120062011201620212025 16

Ely by decade

2000s is the heaviest window (1,254 births, 28% of the file).

2000s was Ely's strongest decade.

1,254 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.

Ely births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2000s at 1,254 births (28% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Ely 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 Ely's total volume

Ely vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20%25%30% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -45, 8%-146, 2.9%-39, 4.7%-110, 4.6%-146, 2.3%-114, 12.9%-106, 3.3%-129, 1.8%-146, 4%-112, 2.6%-146, 2.3%-112, 2.4%-26, 24.4%-134, 3.1%-126, 4.7%Ely-146, 3.6%Ely
Ely vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Ely by state

Where Ely concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Ely
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
500 11.2%
#2 Texas
428 9.6%
#3 New York
398 8.9%
#4 Florida
98 2.2%
#5 Missouri
61 1.4%
#6 Arizona
34 0.8%
#7 Colorado
24 0.5%
#8 Indiana
23 0.5%
California share of Ely's total US births 11.2%
Even split

500 of 4,471 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 26 reporting states.

Ely appears in 26 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Ely? ▼
4,471 babies have been named Ely since 1880. All-time, it sits at #1,919 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #2,643 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 2009 with 159 births.
Where does Ely sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ely ranks #1,919 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,643 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Ely most popular? ▼
Ely was most popular in the 2000s decade with 1,254 total births. The single peak year was 2009.
Where is Ely most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Ely are California (500 births), Texas (428 births), New York (398 births).
Is Ely a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Ely is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 4,471 births, and as a girl's name it has 616 births.
How long has the name Ely been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Ely since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Ely? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elyas, Elyjah, Elyon, Elya, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Ely's data

  • Ely's decade-level peak was the 2000s (1,254 total births); usage has since declined to 270 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Elys (500 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Ely

Nearby Names Like Ely

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ely

Elyas Boy
#1265 2,084 births
Elyjah Boy
#2560 1,961 births
Elyon Boy
#2226 414 births
Elya Boy
#4333 404 births
Elyan Boy
#2598 372 births

Compare Ely side by side: Ely vs Elyas Ely vs Elyjah Ely vs Elyon

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Ely

Judge #2642
3,826 births · Peak 1919
Burke #2644
4,118 births · Peak 2013
Herbert #2641
228,266 births · Peak 1928
Job #2645
3,399 births · Peak 2004
Gurbaaz #2640
387 births · Peak 2022
Amiel #2646
1,251 births · Peak 2025
Muhammadyusuf #2639
275 births · Peak 2025
Giacomo #2647
1,896 births · Peak 2006

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Ely: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 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).

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 Ely 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 August 2026.