El
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- EL
- Origin
- Hebrew
- UK rank, 2025
- #3,021 for boys
El is a name of Hebrew origin, meaning “God”. In 2025 it ranked 3,021st for boys in the UK (7 babies).
What does El mean?
Hebrew: short form of names such as Elliott or Elijah; also Hebrew El
“God”
El is the ancient Hebrew word for God, found at the start of names like Elijah, Elias and Eliezer.
More on Wiktionary.
Is El a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, El has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys. In 2025, it was given to 7 boys in the UK.
How popular is El in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #3,021among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 7about 1 in 43,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 367% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 7 boys in the UK were named El, making it the 3,021st most popular name for boys. Its busiest year was 2009, with 7 boys.
2025 had more boys named El than any year since 2009.
Half of all the boys named El in the UK since 1996 were born between 2008 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 2,938th in England and Wales.
El in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | #3,021 |
| 2024 | 4 | #4,346 |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 6 | #3,179 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 3 | #4,995 |
| 2016 | 4 | #4,214 |
| 2015 | 3 | #4,955 |
| 2014 | 3 | #4,829 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 4 | #3,986 |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 7 | #2,679 |
| 2008 | 4 | #3,836 |
| 2007 | 3 | #4,486 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 1 | #4,870 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 4 | #2,714 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 5 | #2,109 |
Names like El
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Jesse Reuben Ellis James John George Edward Jack Arthur Elijah Eli Sam
Names related to El
More Hebrew names
Noah Isabella Mia Ava Jude Ezra Benjamin Isaac Jacob Ethan Daniel Samuel Elias Mateo Elsie Levi
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “El: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/el, updated 20 October 2026.