Discover and Shortlist Your Perfect Baby Names!

Ely as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Ely

♡Add to my Name List

The baby name Ely is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced EE-lee (/ˈiːli/),EE-ly (/ˈiːlaɪ/).

Ely is Hebrew in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: EE-lee (/ˈiːli/),EE-ly (/ˈiːlaɪ/)

What is the meaning of the name Ely ?

The baby name Ely is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced EE-lee (/ˈiːli/),EE-ly (/ˈiːlaɪ/).

Ely is Hebrew in Origin.

Ely combines two distinct lineages. As a spelling variant of Eli, it stems from Hebrew: either עֵלִי (“lofty, ascended,” from the root ‘alah) or אֵלִי (“my God,” from El + the possessive suffix). In this sense it functions as a short form for Elijah, Eliezer, Elisha, and related “El-” names. Separately, Ely also arises as an English surname turned given name, tied to the cathedral city in Cambridgeshire; the place-name comes from Old English ǣl + īeg, meaning “eel island.” Both paths give Ely a compact sound with layered meanings - spiritual elevation or “my God,” and a poetic placename image.

Usage spans biblical-inspired naming and Anglo-American surname traditions. Documented bearers include Ely S. Parker (19th‑century Seneca leader) and Ely Culbertson (bridge theorist). Variants and related forms include Eli, Élie/Elie (French), Elye (Yiddish), Elias, Elijah, and the surnames Ely/Eley. Today it reads primarily masculine, though occasionally unisex.

Ely has the following similar or variant Names

Ely – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2016 #1 — 760
SV Girls 0 #18 1 458
MV 0 #19 1 644
HN 0 #22 1 704
HT Boys 0 #33 2 903
MV Girls 0 #35 1 2,021
HN Girls 0 #37 2 884
ID 0 #38 2 2,238
MO 0 #50 3 2,706
HN Boys 0 #52 1 749
PR 0 #52 4 1,497
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
AO 0 #73 5 2,729
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
JP 0 #77 1 4,057
MV Boys 0 #78 2 3,375
BG 0 #81 2 1,799
ID Girls 0 #85 14 3,319
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
PH 0 #87 10 5,607
LT 0 #88 1 949
EC 0 #103 13 2,502
QA 0 #103 4 7,011
BN Girls 0 #110 5 5,459
BO Girls 0 #110 1,760 9,488
KW 0 #120 2 5,216
OM 0 #120 2 6,215
CY Girls 0 #122 4 3,755
PA 0 #130 9 3,797
CY Boys 0 #131 1 3,473
Switzerland Girls 2024 #133 3 1,786
IQ 0 #133 1 3,533
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
BN Boys 0 #136 4 6,332
PR Girls 0 #138 24 3,171
EC Girls 0 #139 105 3,650
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
MT Girls 0 #151 3 3,773
CR 0 #159 7 5,526
AR 0 #170 17 2,915
PR Boys 0 #173 6 2,508
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
UY 0 #177 6 2,477
GT Girls 0 #179 477 7,500
AE 0 #180 8 10,220
LU Girls 0 #188 3 4,850
Sweden Boys 2013 #189 2 1,429
AO Girls 0 #190 20 4,575
BO 0 #191 217 6,868
LT Girls 0 #199 2 1,904
PE Girls 0 #203 2,378 14,861
SI Boys 0 #211 1 3,402
AR Girls 0 #212 791 8,289
MX Girls 0 #212 4,539 17,781
CL Girls 0 #218 1,780 14,098
PS 0 #224 3 5,692
MX 0 #226 206 8,339
AL Girls 0 #227 1 4,141
BG Girls 0 #227 5 3,559
MO Boys 0 #229 6 5,842
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
PA Girls 0 #233 295 9,861
NA Girls 0 #236 2 7,146
MO Girls 0 #240 12 7,056
TW Girls 0 #240 37 8,139
GT 0 #241 74 5,948
AO Boys 0 #242 8 5,568
EC Boys 0 #242 5 3,322
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
GR Girls 0 #248 2 6,293
JP Girls 0 #248 4 6,592
PT 0 #248 3 4,161
PE 0 #252 59 6,350
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
TW Boys 0 #256 1 7,111
IL 0 #265 10 6,291
PH Boys 0 #270 115 11,440
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
Canada Girls 2023 #273 7 2,824
SG 0 #276 7 11,010
SA 0 #282 14 10,560
Canada Boys 2024 #291 16 2,588
QA Girls 0 #299 18 15,378
JP Boys 0 #303 1 7,909
CL 0 #308 105 6,867
MY 0 #313 18 12,352
BR 0 #322 24 5,969
DK Girls 0 #327 3 7,429
CN Boys 0 #330 2 9,639
KZ Girls 0 #331 2 5,862
GH Girls 0 #336 2 6,973
France Boys 2021 #337 51 2,865
JO Girls 0 #339 1 7,570
PH Girls 0 #340 51 13,098
CZ Girls 0 #348 4 5,378
GT Boys 0 #350 126 7,625
CN Girls 0 #351 9 8,829
SD Girls 0 #355 4 7,678
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
MU Girls 0 #361 2 8,539
MU Boys 0 #364 6 8,477
France Girls 2021 #373 33 3,185
PT Boys 0 #374 8 7,951
OM Girls 0 #380 17 15,987
Spain 0 #381 72 2,326
IT Girls 0 #383 2,937 9,415
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
YE 0 #395 4 8,639
BD Girls 0 #404 3 8,413
PT Girls 0 #405 47 7,952
UY Girls 0 #406 107 6,731
UY Boys 0 #410 4 5,922
EG 0 #411 2 6,387
Spain Girls 0 #412 857 5,561
CO 0 #431 50 7,768
CR Girls 0 #444 89 11,342
AR Boys 0 #451 17 7,628
PA Boys 0 #463 19 9,305
RU Girls 0 #468 31 11,913
CR Boys 0 #472 16 10,188
ZA 0 #474 1 14,421
PS Boys 0 #478 71 10,655
IR Girls 0 #489 42 8,334
KW Girls 0 #492 24 19,177
IL Boys 0 #508 100 10,983
AE Girls 0 #509 45 20,968
IT 0 #513 207 4,183
IQ Girls 0 #517 9 11,303
RU Boys 0 #519 8 12,621
BH 0 #520 34 17,937
SG Girls 0 #524 63 18,916
BO Boys 0 #526 67 9,244
PS Girls 0 #542 6 10,981
HK Girls 0 #547 69 16,104
CO Girls 0 #549 755 16,140
HK Boys 0 #549 9 12,905
LY 0 #552 8 12,703
CM Girls 0 #556 5 11,671
IR Boys 0 #561 5 10,162
CM Boys 0 #567 9 12,054
BR Girls 0 #583 411 12,708
LB 0 #593 66 13,263
CL Boys 0 #622 44 13,390
BR Boys 0 #634 119 12,213
PE Boys 0 #638 251 14,506
IL Girls 0 #642 4 11,648
IN Girls 0 #647 8 13,121
SG Boys 0 #681 17 17,960
QA Boys 0 #692 16 18,093
IQ Boys 0 #694 4 13,071
SY 0 #717 12 11,684
MY Girls 0 #739 261 24,821
KW Boys 0 #755 15 18,755
MX Boys 0 #768 218 16,355
CO Boys 0 #771 150 15,656
TN 0 #775 55 13,765
NG Girls 0 #777 10 15,093
Germany Girls 0 #816 23 4,949
SA Girls 0 #851 85 25,931
United States Boys 2024 #853 40 7,044
EG Boys 0 #862 25 15,035
OM Boys 0 #867 15 17,948
Spain Boys 0 #876 55 5,610
United States Girls 2024 #888 29 8,487
EG Girls 0 #908 52 14,742
NL Girls 0 #926 30 5,933
NL Boys 0 #931 21 5,873
NG Boys 0 #933 19 16,906
MY Boys 0 #1,028 84 25,439
MA 0 #1,033 96 20,986
AE Boys 0 #1,037 56 22,615
IN Boys 0 #1,037 3 16,750
ZA Girls 0 #1,131 11 25,928
DZ 0 #1,133 44 20,130
ZA Boys 0 #1,166 13 25,619
TR 0 #1,199 13 19,440
IT Boys 0 #1,321 151 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,348 267 28,008

Ely is popular in 80 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
United States
Switzerland
Wallonia, Belgium

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Ely

Ely is predominantly a boy's name.
Ely is a 2 syllable name, pronounced EE-lee (/ˈiːli/),EE-ly (/ˈiːlaɪ/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Eli, Élie, Elias, Elijah, Elly and Ellie.
Across languages, Ely has these equivalents: {'hebrew': 'Eli (אֵלִי), 'greek': 'Elias (Ηλίας), 'latin': 'Aelius (related form), 'welsh': 'Ely (place-name/form).
Yes, very popular — Ely ranked #1 in Ireland in 2016, and appears in official birth registries across 7 countries.
Ely ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2016).
Ely's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #385 in 2011 to #337 in 2021 in France.