Find out how popular the last name Eli is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Eli.

Eli, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Eli surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eli in America

Eli is the 16881st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eli surname appeared 1,688 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Eli.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eli to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Eli

The surname Eli is of Hebrew origin and can be traced back to biblical times. It is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, meaning "my God is Yahweh." The earliest known bearer of this name was Eli, a high priest and judge in ancient Israel around the 11th century BC.

Eli is also a variation of the Hebrew name Elijah, which was borne by the famous prophet Elijah in the 9th century BC. The name appears in various ancient texts, including the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud.

In the Middle Ages, the surname Eli was adopted by Jewish families across Europe, particularly in Germany and Eastern Europe. It was often anglicized to Ellis or Ellison in English-speaking countries.

One notable bearer of the surname Eli was Judah Eli, a 16th-century rabbi and scholar from Poland. He was a prominent figure in the Jewish community and authored several works on Jewish law and philosophy.

Another historical figure with the surname Eli was Benjamin Eli, a 17th-century Dutch rabbi and scholar. He was known for his expertise in the Talmud and Hebrew grammar.

In the 19th century, Eli was adopted as a surname by some Sephardic Jewish families from the Ottoman Empire. One such individual was David Eli, a prominent merchant and philanthropist from Istanbul, Turkey, who lived from 1810 to 1878.

A famous bearer of the surname Eli in more recent history was Sir William Eli, a British businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1867 to 1934. He founded the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company, which is still in operation today.

It is worth noting that the surname Eli is relatively uncommon, and its usage has been primarily concentrated within Jewish communities throughout history. However, it has also been adopted by non-Jewish families, particularly in regions with a significant Jewish population.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eli

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Eli.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Eli was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Eli has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Eli was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Eli, please contact us.

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