Head to head · Girls' names
Eileen vs Ellis
#654 vs #682 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Eileen is ahead (#654 vs #682 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Eileen leads 6 measures of 6; Ellis leads 0.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Eileen #724, Ellis #972 — Eileen higher
- 1890s: Eileen #475, Ellis #1253 — Eileen higher
- 1900s: Eileen #293, Ellis #1499 — Eileen higher
- 1910s: Eileen #157, Ellis #1935 — Eileen higher
- 1920s: Eileen #96, Ellis #2153 — Eileen higher
- 1930s: Eileen #110, Ellis #2386 — Eileen higher
- 1940s: Eileen #90, Ellis #2871 — Eileen higher
- 1950s: Eileen #112, Ellis #3985 — Eileen higher
- 1960s: Eileen #161, Ellis #5874 — Eileen higher
- 1970s: Eileen #318, Ellis #8167 — Eileen higher
- 1980s: Eileen #405, Ellis #6993 — Eileen higher
- 1990s: Eileen #575, Ellis #4212 — Eileen higher
- 2000s: Eileen #713, Ellis #2577 — Eileen higher
- 2010s: Eileen #737, Ellis #1010 — Eileen higher
- 2020s: Eileen #650, Ellis #674 — Eileen higher
Eileen stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Eileen | Ellis |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #724 | #972 |
| 1890s | #475 | #1253 |
| 1900s | #293 | #1499 |
| 1910s | #157 | #1935 |
| 1920s | #96 | #2153 |
| 1930s | #110 | #2386 |
| 1940s | #90 | #2871 |
| 1950s | #112 | #3985 |
| 1960s | #161 | #5874 |
| 1970s | #318 | #8167 |
| 1980s | #405 | #6993 |
| 1990s | #575 | #4212 |
| 2000s | #713 | #2577 |
| 2010s | #737 | #1010 |
| 2020s | #650 | #674 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Eileen
Not settled — most often glossed as "shining" by association with Helen
Two readings compete. By descent, Eileen anglicizes Irish Eibhlín, which came from Norman French Aveline, a name whose own Germanic root element has no agreed translation — so strictly, the meaning is unrecovered. In practice, Irish and English usage long treated Eibhlín/Eileen as the Irish counterpart of Helen, and the sense "shining, bright" attached to it that way. Both are honest answers; neither is invention.
Aveline (Norman French) → Eibhlín (Irish) → Eileen
How it traveled
The Normans carried Aveline into Ireland after the twelfth century, and Irish speakers reshaped it as Eibhlín — a name that then belonged to Ireland far more than to France. It appears in one of the great works of Irish-language poetry: the eighteenth-century lament for Art Ó Laoghaire, composed by his widow Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill.
Ellis
From Elias/Elijah — "my God is Yahweh"; in Wales also linked to Elisedd
The main line runs through Elis, the ordinary medieval English form of Elias, itself the Greek spelling of Hebrew Eliyahu, "my God is Yahweh." In Wales, Ellis is also tied to the older Welsh name Elisedd, whose own meaning is not settled. Both roads are taken seriously by name scholars, and the two very likely reinforced each other.
Eliyahu → Elias → Elis → Ellis
How it traveled
In medieval England and Wales, Elias — the form of Elijah used by the Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible and carried into Latin — was clipped in everyday speech to Elis. Ordinary men were baptized with it, and when fixed surnames spread, their descendants became Ellis.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Eileen
eye-LEEN
Stress on the second syllable is standard in the US; some families say EYE-leen with the weight up front. The Irish spelling Eibhlín is pronounced differently again, closer to ev-LEEN or eye-LEEN depending on region.
- Eily — The traditional Irish short form (Eilí); informal, and used as a standalone given name in Ireland.
- Lee — Informal, drawn from the stressed syllable; also a given name and surname in its own right.
- Leenie — Informal and affectionate, mostly within families rather than in public use.
- Ei — Written more than spoken — initials, signatures, family shorthand.
Ellis
EL-iss
Stress on the first syllable. Spoken quickly it can land close to Alice or Elise, so expect the occasional need to repeat it on the phone.
- Eli — The most common short form; also a long-established given name on its own.
- Ellie — Informal, used more often for girls named Ellis; a very common standalone name too.
- El — Casual, family-level; works for a child of either sex.
- Ells — Schoolyard and teammate shortening, the way surnames get clipped.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Eileen if you want…
- a name most people already know#654 in 2025, 437 babies that year
- a name on the way upup 47 places on the charts in five years
Choose Ellis if you want…
- a name fewer children share#682 in 2025 — ellis will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name holding steadyEllis is holding its place on the charts
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Eileen
Strengths
- Short, two syllables, and phonetically transparent once heard — no one needs it repeated twice.
- An unbroken presence in American records from the earliest years they were kept, so it has never had to be reintroduced.
- Belongs to a real family of names — Eibhlín, Aileen, Evelyn, Aveline — which gives it depth and ready alternatives.
To consider
- Dexys Midnight Runners' "Come On Eileen" is a fixture of oldies radio and wedding playlists, and plenty of people will sing the line on hearing the name. Worth knowing rather than worth fearing — it has kept the name audible for decades.
- The spelling competes with Aileen, Eilene, Ilene and Aline, so expect to spell it aloud fairly often.
- Living bearers skew strongly toward older generations, which means the name currently reads as a grandmother's name or a family name rather than a nursery one — attractive to some parents, a hurdle for others.
Ellis
Strengths
- One spelling, and one most people have already seen — on maps, in family names, at Ellis Island. Rarely misspelled once heard clearly.
- Short enough to need no nickname, but comes with Eli, Ellie and El if a child wants one.
- Travels: it charts in England, Wales and Scotland as well as the US, and connects to Elias, Élie and Elia abroad.
To consider
- Most children named Ellis are boys, but a real minority are girls. Whichever side you are on, expect some assumptions: a girl named Ellis will occasionally be read as a boy on paper, and both will now and then be taken as a surname.
- By ear it sits close to Alice, Elise and Eloise, and close to Eli and Elias. Introductions in noisy rooms may need a second pass.
- It is very much a surname as well as a first name, so listen to it with yours — Ellis followed by another surname can sound like two last names in a row.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Eileen and Ellis in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Eileen and Ellis?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
Where Eileen and Ellis each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Eileen or Ellis — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Eileen or Ellis?
- Eileen, in 2025: Eileen ranked #654 with 437 babies; Ellis ranked #682 with 415 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Eileen or Ellis?
- Eileen. Over the last five years Eileen moved up 47 places; Ellis moved down 64 places.
- Which is the older name, Eileen or Ellis?
- Eileen entered the US charts in 1882; Ellis entered the US charts in 1883. On the American record, Eileen is the older name.
- How many people are named Eileen and Ellis?
- About 109,000 people named Eileen are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 6,700 people named Ellis are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Eileens or Elliss in the classroom?
- Eileen will almost certainly be the only one in school. Ellis will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Eileen, Ellis and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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