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