Eli
Eli is a man's name in the United States and a woman's name in Norway and Bulgaria. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
This name's gender leans differently depending on the country — check the table below before you assume.
Eli · Elí
- Verdict
- Depends on the country
- Male / female split
- 97% male / 3% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Israel, Iceland
- Also spelled
- Elí
- US births since 1880
- 115,184 male / 733 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Eli
To address Eli when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Eli," in English, "Guten Tag Eli," in German. Eli is a man's name in the United States and a woman's name in Norway, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Eli,
German
Guten Tag Eli,
French
Bonjour Eli,
Spanish
Estimado/a Eli:
Chinese
Eli您好：
Japanese
Eli様
English
Hi Eli,
German
Hi Eli,
French
Salut Eli,
Spanish
Hola Eli,
Chinese
Eli你好：
Japanese
Eliさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 99% |
| Israel | common | man's name | 98% |
| Iceland | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Norway | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Albania | rare | unisex name | 50% |
| Denmark | rare | man's name | 75% |
| Bulgaria | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| North Macedonia | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Germany | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Estonia | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Spain | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Croatia | rare | woman's name | 2% |
Show all 14 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | rare | man's name | 75% |
| Sweden | rare | woman's name | 2% |
United States birth data
115,184 male · 733 female · 115,917 births recorded
Since 1980: 99% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eli a male or female name?
Eli is a man's name in the United States and a woman's name in Norway and Bulgaria. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
How do I address Eli in an email?
To address Eli when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Eli," in English, "Guten Tag Eli," in German. Eli is a man's name in the United States and a woman's name in Norway, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Is Eli a unisex name?
Eli is not a unisex name: 97% of people named Eli are men. The gender leans heavily on which country the person is from.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Eli a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/eli (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_eli,
title = {Is Eli a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/eli},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}