Given name & surname
Ely
“one who has ascended; my God on high”
Ely is a variant of Eli. One Hebrew interpretation is “one who has ascended; my God on high.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ely is a variant of Eli. One Hebrew interpretation is “one who has ascended; my God on high.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Ely is a variant of Eli. An origin associated with Eli is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Ely is a variant of Eli. The history of Eli gives this family its wider story. Eli appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Ely through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,087
- 4,471 boys · 616 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 175 babies
- 2025
- 65
- #2,653 for boys · #6,925 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −28%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 71% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 49 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,653 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 40.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 159 in 2009. It also appeared in 16 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Pennsylvania and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,426 as a first name in 2020; 12,347 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ely’s family of names
Ely has a related form in Eli. Ely has a conventional equivalent in the Portuguese form Eli. In English usage, Ely has a conventional equivalent in the Russian form Эли.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ely has relatives in 3 languages.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ely
- Ely Ould Mohamed VallMauritanian President (1953-2017)
- ElyBrazilian footballer (1921–1991)
- Alí PrimeraVenezuelan musician (1941–1985)
- Ely TacchellaSwiss footballer (1936–2017)
- Ely CulbertsonAmerican contract bridge entrepreneur (1891–1955)
- Ely S. ParkerUnion Army officer and a Commissioner of Indian Affairs (1828-1895)
- Ely GalleaniItalian actress, active years 1970 to 1978born 1953
- Ely PougetAmerican actress and modelborn 1960
- Ely Jacques KahnAmerican architect (1884–1972)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ely, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Gabriele
“man of God” · “a hero of God”
68% boys · 32% girls
Jael
“resembling a mountain goat”
49% boys · 51% girls
Kobi
“woman from California”
56% boys · 44% girls
Ari
“resembling a lion or an eagle”
62% boys · 38% girls
Yona
“dove” · “resembling a dove”
62% boys · 38% girls
Elie
“God helps” · “one who has ascended; my God on high”
73% boys · 27% girls
Yael
“having the strength of God” · “strength of God”
65% boys · 35% girls
Mica
“who is like (Yahweh)?”
54% boys · 46% girls