What is Eli short for?
In old records, Eli is usually short for Elijah. It can also stand for Elias, Elisha, and Eliezer, and others. You will find it in American and British records, chiefly 1600s-1900s. The Eli-to-Elijah jump is easy to miss, so it is worth searching both when you hit a dead end.
Loading tool…
Not sure Eli is a nickname at all? Get the straight verdict.
The finder above is preloaded with this name. Search any other nickname or formal name to trace a variant, or open the full nickname finder.
FAQs
Does Eli always mean Elijah?+
Not always. Eli most often stands for Elijah, but it also appears for Elias, Elisha, and Eliezer. Confirm against the actual record before you rely on it.
How does this nickname lookup work?+
It searches a curated dataset of historical nickname-to-formal-name mappings - in both directions - entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored on our servers.
Start with one relative and see what comes back.
Add what you remember and AncestorIQ searches for the rest. Free to build your tree for as long as you like.
No credit card needed. Your tree stays yours.
