Hi friends,
I am in love with the name [name_u]Eli[/name_u], but I am not [name_u]Christian[/name_u] or a religious person in general!
I prefer to go with non-religious names, but I can’t help with Loving this name! [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think I should stop thinking about this name and pick another name? Or I should ignore the fact and go ahead with this name?
This name is so cute! I don’t think of anything religious when I hear this name and it doesn’t have a very religious meaning (I believe it means ‘high’) so go right on ahead loving it!
I don’t find [name_u]Eli[/name_u] to be a strongly religious name. It’s mainstream enough that it just feels like a cool, not-too-common option that feels both traditional and laid-back.
I really like it! Also love [name_u]Elias[/name_u] with [name_u]Eli[/name_u] for short.
I don’t think it would matter if it’s religious or not.
I’m not religious either, and there are a lot of names I really like that have religious connections to them. Personally, a name that has a religious meaning means nothing to me. Unless the name is used heavily in the bible, I might reconsider.
I don’t consider [name_u]Eli[/name_u] to be one of those names where my first impression of the name is “biblical”.
I don’t think it’s an issue. Tbh, if I were to take all the names that appear in the Bible off my list, I’d barely have any left (I’m not religious either).
It’s widely used enough that I wouldn’t assume the parents of an [name_u]Eli[/name_u] were particularly religious. I really like [name_u]Eli[/name_u]–it feels strong yet light and approachable. I say go for it!
I am a [name_u]Christian[/name_u] and very involved in my faith, but it is definitely not on the list of names I immediately think of as a religious name, even though I know of [name_u]Eli[/name_u] in the Bible. I think this is because of how much it’s been normalized in today’s modern world, and that makes it less connected to religion, I think. Other Biblical names that fit this: [name_m]David[/name_m], [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u], [name_m]Isaac[/name_m], [name_m]Nathan[/name_m], [name_m]Nathaniel[/name_m], [name_m]Zach[/name_m], [name_m]Zachary[/name_m], [name_m]Matthew[/name_m], [name_m]Mark[/name_m], [name_m]Marcus[/name_m], (and others that I can’t think of right now).
I agree with @carlene.denae! I’m a [name_u]Christian[/name_u] and have the biblical associations with the name [name_u]Eli[/name_u], but I think it’s mainstream enough that I don’t hear the name and think “Oh, they chose it as a biblical name.”
It’s religious like [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], [name_u]Michael[/name_u], [name_m]Matthew[/name_m], etc., just used less often.
Eli is one of those names that has become familiarly used rather than remaining strictly or overly biblical. I think it could work
I’m not religious, but [name_u]Eli[/name_u] doesnt strike me as particularly religious. [name_m]Elijah[/name_m] does though.
I recognise [name_u]Eli[/name_u] as a Biblical name but at the same time I wouldn’t assume that the parents of a boy named [name_u]Eli[/name_u] had to be especially religious, or religious at all. It’s a relatively popular and mainstream name.
I personally don’t think there are very many names that are overtly [name_u]Christian[/name_u] anymore. Perhaps some of the more obscure names you don’t hear much except in the Bible, but the majority of religious/Christian names have been used by so many people, religious and not, that it would be silly to assume someone is religious based on the name they chose for their child. And it would be silly to not use a name just because it appears in the Bible, IMO.
I agree with @ChelsAnne22. Biblical names (or even names of saints) are very common and don’t necessarily signal religious connotations. Some that are more unusual or have a very strong religious namesake might seem religious, but that’s not a bad thing. [name_u]Eli[/name_u] doesn’t seem to fall into this category.
In Scripture [name_u]Eli[/name_u] wasn’t a huge biblical figure per se to the extent that say [name_m]Daniel[/name_m], [name_u]Noah[/name_u] or [name_m]John[/name_m] or [name_f]Mary[/name_f] so some could look and say religious others might say “[name_u]Eli[/name_u]… as in [name_u]Eli[/name_u] [name_m]Manning[/name_m] the football player?” Or some other such non biblical association. I would go for it.
In hindsight we named our newest [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] and one of my husbands co-workers is convinces our inspiration was to some video game thing and hubby goes no we were going for the biblical tie and persons still not convinced. People are going to find associations regardless of what your intentions are so ai wouldn’t overthink it…
I don’t think it’s too religious. It wasn’t the first thing that came to my mind when I read the name.
I have a [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] and I am not religious in the slightest. A lot of the religious names are very strong and great sounding, so I can understand the appeal. [name_u]Elias[/name_u] and [name_u]Elliott[/name_u] also nice.
I can’t imagine that people would read into it.
Nope! Not too religious! I say go for it 
I don’t really see a problem with religious sounding names whether you are religious or not.