Eligh
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "lofty" or "elevated".
Name Census estimates that about 805 living Americans carry the first name Eligh. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eligh today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eligh births was 2014 (61 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eligh. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
805
~ 1 in 425,782 Americans
Peak year
2014
61 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,485
Tracked since 1906
Popularity
Eligh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eligh from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 457 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eligh by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Eligh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elighs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Eligh
The name Eligh has its roots in ancient Semitic languages spoken in the Middle East and North Africa. It is believed to have originated from the Arabic word "ali," which means "high" or "exalted." This name was particularly popular among Arabic-speaking communities during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Eligh can be found in ancient Islamic texts, where it was used to refer to individuals of high social standing or those with a distinguished lineage. In some instances, the name was also associated with religious or spiritual leaders, reflecting its connotation of exaltation.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Eligh. One prominent example is Eligh ibn Abi Talib (599-661 CE), a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, who played a crucial role in the early days of Islam and is revered by many Muslims as the first male to embrace the faith.
Another historical figure named Eligh was Eligh al-Rumi (1207-1273 CE), a renowned Persian poet, scholar, and Sufi mystic. His poetic works, such as the Masnavi, have had a profound influence on Persian literature and Sufism.
In the realm of art and culture, Eligh al-Fazari (fl. 13th century CE) was an influential Arab calligrapher and artist from the Mamluk period. His calligraphic works are considered masterpieces of Arabic calligraphy and have been preserved in various museums and collections.
During the Ottoman Empire, Eligh Pasha (1517-1571 CE) was a prominent military commander and statesman who served as the Grand Vizier, the highest-ranking political advisor to the Sultan.
In more recent times, Eligh Bador (1853-1931 CE) was an influential Egyptian historian and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Islamic history and culture.
While the name Eligh has its roots in the Middle East and North Africa, it has been adopted and adapted by various cultures over the centuries, reflecting the rich diversity and interconnectedness of human civilizations.
People
Eligh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eligh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eligh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eligh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 805 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eligh going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 425,782 US residents.
Is Eligh a common name?
We classify Eligh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,012 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eligh most popular?
The single biggest year for Eligh was 2014, when 61 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eligh is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Eligh a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eligh in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.