| Eli | Josiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Ascended, high | Yahweh supports |
| Origin | Hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | EE-ly | joh-SY-ah |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2012 (8,079) | 2017 (7,079) |
| In 2025 | 3,418 | 5,509 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Eli | Josiah |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 26,169 | 34,599 |
| 2010s | 69,900 | 63,132 |
| 2000s | 28,043 | 33,258 |
| 1990s | 8,562 | 10,916 |
| 1980s | 5,455 | 4,406 |
| 1970s | 3,610 | 945 |
| 1960s | 1,323 | 173 |
| 1950s | 1,346 | 195 |
| 1940s | 1,288 | 164 |
| 1930s | 1,592 | 206 |
| 1920s | 2,520 | 278 |
| 1910s | 1,991 | 308 |
| 1900s | 483 | 77 |
| 1890s | 492 | 108 |
| 1880s | 721 | 193 |
From the Hebrew, “ascended” or “high.” Eli is a priest in the Book of Samuel.
From Hebrew Yoshiyahu, a theophoric name ending in Yah (Yahweh). Lexicons (BDB) read it 'Yah supports/supporteth'; the underlying verb (yasha) carries the sense 'save, deliver.' The popular rendering 'Yahweh heals' is common on name sites but is not supported by the root, so 'supports' is the better-attested gloss.
Josiah is more popular than Eli today: about 5,509 US babies were given the name Josiah in 2025, compared with 3,418 named Eli.
Eli means Ascended, high (Hebrew origin), while Josiah means Yahweh supports (hebrew origin).
In US records, Eli first appears in 1880 and Josiah in 1880, so Eli has the longer recorded history.