Ely is a boy name with a rare feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Ely means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Ely across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Ely has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Ely is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “ascended, uplifted”. A variant spelling of Eli.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 5,087 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 158 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 15 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Ely per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2009 (175/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2010 (13/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2013 (5/yr).
Ely is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2009, when it ranked #2,413 nationally (given to 181 babies that year).
Ella · Eli · Eula · Ola · Ila · Ole · Ali · Elle
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