boy's name
Elie
ay-LEE
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 55,162
France
#251
2025 births
Elie means my God is the Lord, and it is a declaration aimed at a rival — the prophet's whole career is a contest against Baal, and his name states the winning side before he opens his mouth.
- Elie is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1920, when 885 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 2,267 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Elie over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 7,725 |
| 1910s | 6,305 |
| 1920s | 7,460 |
| 1930s | 4,620 |
| 1940s | 2,535 |
| 1950s | 1,715 |
| 1960s | 1,175 |
| 1970s | 865 |
| 1980s | 1,760 |
| 1990s | 2,990 |
| 2000s | 3,625 |
| 2010s | 4,490 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,315 |
What Elie means
Elie means my God is Yahweh. The Hebrew is a complete sentence taking a side between two gods, so the name is a statement of allegiance rather than a description.
Where Elie comes from
Elie is the French form of Elijah, the Hebrew Eliyahu — Eli, my God, joined to Yahu, a form of the divine name. The prophet's contest with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel is the whole point of the name: it asserts which god is God. Elijah does not die but is taken up in a whirlwind, which is why a cup is set for him at Passover. Ellis, in English, descends from the same name.
Elie in use
Elie peaked in France in 1920, when 885 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 251st in France on 500 births — its strongest market by a wide margin — and 3566th in the United States on 42, across 55,162 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. About 4 percent of recorded births are female.
How popular is Elie?
In 2025, Elie was given to 260 babies in France, ranking #251 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Elie is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Elie is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Élie | Élie is Elie written with an acute accent, used in France, where it ranks #273. | 2,500 |
Names that peaked alongside Elie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Elie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Elie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Elie in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Ellis
Sibling names for Elie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Elie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Elie
What does the name Elie mean?
My God is Yahweh — a complete sentence in Hebrew.
Why does that matter?
Elijah's career is a contest against Baal, so the name states the winning side in advance.
Is Ellis related?
Yes — the English descendant of the same name.
Where is Elie used?
France at 251st, far ahead of the United States at 3566th.
How popular is the name Elie?
In 2025, Elie was given to 260 babies in France, ranking #251 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Elie a girl's or a boy's name?
Elie is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Elie?
Elie has 2 syllables.
When was Elie most popular?
Elie peaked in 1920, when 885 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Elie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Elie currently ranks #251 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.