| Eli | Ezra | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Ascended, high | help |
| Origin | Hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | EE-ly | EZ-rah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2012 (8,079) | 2024 (8,822) |
| In 2025 | 3,418 | 8,126 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Eli | Ezra |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 26,169 | 47,728 |
| 2010s | 69,900 | 38,650 |
| 2000s | 28,043 | 8,326 |
| 1990s | 8,562 | 2,854 |
| 1980s | 5,455 | 1,755 |
| 1970s | 3,610 | 1,271 |
| 1960s | 1,323 | 588 |
| 1950s | 1,346 | 677 |
| 1940s | 1,288 | 574 |
| 1930s | 1,592 | 819 |
| 1920s | 2,520 | 1,373 |
| 1910s | 1,991 | 1,081 |
| 1900s | 483 | 304 |
| 1890s | 492 | 405 |
| 1880s | 721 | 356 |
From the Hebrew, “ascended” or “high.” Eli is a priest in the Book of Samuel.
From Hebrew ezra, 'help, aid' (root '-z-r). Borne by the scribe of the biblical Book of Ezra. Likely a shortened theophoric name (compare Azariah, 'Yahweh has helped'), with the divine element dropped.
Ezra is more popular than Eli today: about 8,126 US babies were given the name Ezra in 2025, compared with 3,418 named Eli.
Eli means Ascended, high (Hebrew origin), while Ezra means help (hebrew origin).
In US records, Eli first appears in 1880 and Ezra in 1880, so Eli has the longer recorded history.