Name Awesome

Ely

#2,653 in 2025UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

Variant of Eli

Ely has been given to 5,087 babies in the U.S. since 1880. In 2025 it ranked #2,653 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 2009, with 159 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 88% boys, 12% girls all-time.

Babies named Ely, 2025

1 in 67,700

Ely over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
05010015020018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Ely over time

In 2025, Ely went to 25% girls and 75% boys.

18802025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Ely: meaning, origin, and history

Variant of Eli

Deeper origin not confirmed in the cited records

What Ely means

Ely is a variant of Eli.

Meaning behind the documented name family

The name developed through Ely → Eli. The family’s meaning is “ascent”, recorded in English with the source elements עֵלִי.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

Inherited from Middle English Ely, from Old English Ēlīġ, of uncertain origin.

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Ely (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Ely is used in English.

Ely comes through Middle English Ely and Old English Ēlīġ.

Related names and everyday forms

Related names include Eli.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Ely is pronounced /iːli/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 4,471 boys were recorded with the name Ely between 1880 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 159 in 2009; its best national rank was #551 in 1882.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #2,630 in 2020 to #2,653 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #1,516 in 2015 to #2,653 in 2025.

In the United States, 616 girls were recorded with the name Ely between 1918 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 30 in 2022; its best national rank was #4,616 in 2022.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #7,013 in 2020 to #6,923 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #5,172 in 2015 to #6,923 in 2025.

How common is Ely?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 67,700
49 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 34,900
<0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025
#2,653
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
46,897 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Ely sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 46,897 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Ely. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Elys were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Ely was born before 2004 — so the typical Ely is around 21 today.

Median birth year
2004
About 21 years old
Biggest decade
2000s
28.0% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
56.2%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
3,821
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2000s — 28.0% of all recorded uses (1,254).

Is Ely rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
+410
Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago
−23
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
−1,137
Places dropped
Births vs 10 years ago
0.45×
Fewer babies than then
Share of its own peak
30.8%
Peak was 2009 (159)
Years since peak
16
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Steady
11.4% average annual change
Best rank ever
#551
1882

Where Ely is used — boys

Across 1910–2025, Ely was most concentrated in California — about 1 in 33,333 boys, against 1 in 72,123 across all states with data. It was least common in Wisconsin (1 in —).

03 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in 33,333
  2. 2New York1 in 33,333
  3. 3Texas1 in 33,333
  4. 4Arizona1 in 50,000
  5. 5Florida1 in 50,000
  6. 6Missouri1 in 50,000
  7. 7Arkansas1 in 100,000
  8. 8Colorado1 in 100,000

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Ely has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Where Ely is used — girls

Across 1910–2025, Ely was most concentrated in California — about 1 in — girls, against 1 in 224,553 across all states with data. It was least common in Texas (1 in —).

00 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in —
  2. 2Texas1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Ely has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Ely around the world

Where Ely ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1996–2025
    #5,137
    in 2025
  • Ireland
    2004–2016
    #713
    in 2016
  • France
    1910–2025
    #752
    in 2025
  • Canada
    1995–2024
    #1,390
    in 2024
  • South Australia
    1955–2012
    #771
    in 2012

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, Central Statistics Office, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. CSO, CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Notable people named Ely

People whose public names include Ely, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Ely in other languages

Cross-language forms and variants of Ely. Linked forms have their own page here.

AlyEliEllyEaly

Variant forms from Wikidata (CC0). Most are used mainly outside the United States; U.S. birth records statistics cover US usage only.

Ely by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#2,653
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 23
Best rank ever
#551
1882
Peak year
2009
159 that year
First recorded
1880
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
4,471
Count in 2025
49

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#6,923
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 90
Best rank ever
#4,616
2022
Peak year
2022
30 that year
First recorded
1918
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
616
Count in 2025
16

Names similar to Ely

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

ElyasElyjahElyaElyonElyeElyanBlakelyNeelyElysianRielyStokelyElyesElynElyseElyjaElyotElyusElyshaStanelyElyhElyamAshelyGreelyRidgely

Names with a curve like Ely

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Ely, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

HyrumObedAmmonAjayJohannJermiahMarkoJeramiahKarstenBlayneEvinGerson

Sibling names for Ely

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Ely

Top names of 2009, Ely's peak yearThe 2000s in fullOther names that peaked in 1882Boys' names starting with E