Eli Whitney
There are approximately 16 people named Eli Whitney living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 21,422,146 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Eli with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Whitney. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
16
1 in 21,422,146
Named Eli
141K
Alive today
Named Whitney
38K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 141K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 2012
Average age: 17
Top Census group: White (66.5%)
Estimated bearers: 38K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #1,029
Per 100K: 11.21
Top ancestry: White (82.7%)
First name trend
Eli: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Eli. The peak year was 2012 with 8,107 births. The average person named Eli today is 17 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eli
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Eli, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 66.5%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Eli described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Eli at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White66.5% · 81,572
- Hispanic or Latino19.4% · 23,812
- Black or African American5.5% · 6,725
- Two or more races5.4% · 6,579
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 2,765
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1,260
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Whitney surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Whitney, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 82.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Whitney described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Whitney at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White82.7% · 27,700
- Black or African American7.9% · 2,656
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,366
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 1,226
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 331
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 230
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Eli has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0411% of the US population, based on 140,722 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Eli right now.
The surname Whitney appears at a rate of 11.21 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0112%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 16 people with the full name Eli Whitney. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Eli
Related
Other people with the surname Whitney
FAQ
Eli Whitney: questions and answers
How many people are named Eli Whitney?
We estimate approximately 16 people in the United States share the full name Eli Whitney. That works out to about 1 in 21,422,146 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0411%) with the surname frequency (11.21 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Eli Whitney?
We classify Eli Whitney as "Very Rare". About 1 in 21,422,146 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Eli a male or female name?
Eli is predominantly male. Out of 150,972 total SSA registrations, 99.3% were male and 0.7% were female. See the full Eli profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people are named Eli Whitney?
Find out how common the name Eli Whitney is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.