Head to head · Girls' names
Ellis vs Emberly
#682 vs #688 in 2025
Ellis is a whisker ahead (#682 vs #688 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Ellis is holding its place on the charts, Emberly is stepping back from its peak.
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, Ellis leads 4 measures of 6; Emberly leads 1.
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: Ellis #972, Emberly — — Ellis higher
- 1890s: Ellis #1253, Emberly — — Ellis higher
- 1900s: Ellis #1499, Emberly — — Ellis higher
- 1910s: Ellis #1935, Emberly — — Ellis higher
- 1920s: Ellis #2153, Emberly — — Ellis higher
- 1930s: Ellis #2386, Emberly — — Ellis higher
- 1940s: Ellis #2871, Emberly — — Ellis higher
- 1950s: Ellis #3985, Emberly — — Ellis higher
- 1960s: Ellis #5874, Emberly — — Ellis higher
- 1970s: Ellis #8167, Emberly — — Ellis higher
- 1980s: Ellis #6993, Emberly #8410 — Ellis higher
- 1990s: Ellis #4212, Emberly #9949 — Ellis higher
- 2000s: Ellis #2577, Emberly #6865 — Ellis higher
- 2010s: Ellis #1010, Emberly #1749 — Ellis higher
- 2020s: Ellis #674, Emberly #612 — Emberly higher
Ellis stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Emberly took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Ellis | Emberly |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #972 | — |
| 1890s | #1253 | — |
| 1900s | #1499 | — |
| 1910s | #1935 | — |
| 1920s | #2153 | — |
| 1930s | #2386 | — |
| 1940s | #2871 | — |
| 1950s | #3985 | — |
| 1960s | #5874 | — |
| 1970s | #8167 | — |
| 1980s | #6993 | #8410 |
| 1990s | #4212 | #9949 |
| 2000s | #2577 | #6865 |
| 2010s | #1010 | #1749 |
| 2020s | #674 | #612 |
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
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.
Emberly
Either 'ember', the glowing coal, or the English surname and place name Emberley/Amberley, whose ending means 'woodland clearing'
Two serious readings sit behind the same spelling. The English word ember descends from Old English æmerge, the last live coals of a fire. Separately, Emberley is a real English surname, kin to Amberley, a Sussex village name whose second element is Old English leah, 'woodland clearing' — the same ending buried in Kimberly and Beverly. Which road the modern American name actually took was never written down, and both remain fair answers.
How it traveled
Emberly is a recent American name whose parts are much older than it is. The ending -ly comes into given names through English surnames and place names built on Old English leah, a clearing in woodland — the route that produced Kimberly and Beverly, and that put Emberley on English parish records as a family name.
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
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.
Emberly
EM-ber-lee
Stress on the first syllable, the other two even and unhurried. There is one settled pronunciation, and the spelling gives it away on sight.
- Em — The everyday short form; also the standard short form of Emma, Emily and Emmeline, so it arrives already familiar to most people.
- Ember — Informal at home, and independently in use as a given name in its own right in the US, which makes it a workable shorter formal option.
- Emmy — Affectionate and mostly domestic; also a standalone given name, spelled Emmy or Emmie.
- Berly — Rarer, family-only, following the same pattern by which Kimberly yields Berly.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Ellis if you want…
- a name with fewer syllablesEllis is 2 syllables to Emberly's 3
Choose Emberly if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsEmberly is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itEmberly runs 3 syllables, Ellis 2
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
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.
Emberly
Strengths
- Reads correctly at first glance for English speakers: the -ly ending is already worn smooth by Kimberly, Beverly and Everly.
- Comes with short forms people know without being taught — Em, Emmy, Ember — none of which need explaining.
- Ember works as a shorter form that also stands on its own as a name, so there is a real fallback rather than only a nickname.
To consider
- It will be spelled out often. Emberlee, Emberley, Emberlyn and Amberly all circulate, and over the phone people hear Kimberly or Amberly first.
- The meaning is not settled, and most listeners will hear 'ember' regardless of which origin you prefer — worth knowing if the fire association is not one you want.
- This is a young name. Nearly everyone carrying it is still a child, so there is no adult version of it in most people's experience yet, and it sits audibly within one recent wave of -ly names.
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 Ellis and Emberly 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 Ellis and Emberly?
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 head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Ellis or Emberly — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Ellis or Emberly?
- Ellis, in 2025: Ellis ranked #682 with 415 babies; Emberly ranked #688 with 411 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Ellis or Emberly?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Ellis moved down 64 places; Emberly moved down 134 places.
- Which is the older name, Ellis or Emberly?
- Ellis entered the US charts in 1883; Emberly entered the US charts in 1980. On the American record, Ellis is the older name.
- How many people are named Ellis and Emberly?
- About 6,700 people named Ellis are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 5,500 people named Emberly are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Elliss or Emberlys in the classroom?
- Ellis will almost certainly be the only one in school. Emberly 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
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