Head to head · Boys' names
Ellis vs Kyrie
#243 vs #244 in 2025
Ellis is a whisker ahead (#243 vs #244 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Ellis is back after a long quiet spell, Kyrie is holding its place on the charts.
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 6 measures of 6; Kyrie 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: Ellis #181, Kyrie — — Ellis higher
- 1890s: Ellis #171, Kyrie — — Ellis higher
- 1900s: Ellis #175, Kyrie — — Ellis higher
- 1910s: Ellis #193, Kyrie — — Ellis higher
- 1920s: Ellis #218, Kyrie — — Ellis higher
- 1930s: Ellis #255, Kyrie — — Ellis higher
- 1940s: Ellis #290, Kyrie — — Ellis higher
- 1950s: Ellis #368, Kyrie — — Ellis higher
- 1960s: Ellis #490, Kyrie — — Ellis higher
- 1970s: Ellis #640, Kyrie — — Ellis higher
- 1980s: Ellis #732, Kyrie #6369 — Ellis higher
- 1990s: Ellis #795, Kyrie #3988 — Ellis higher
- 2000s: Ellis #818, Kyrie #4261 — Ellis higher
- 2010s: Ellis #478, Kyrie #831 — Ellis higher
- 2020s: Ellis #291, Kyrie #232 — Kyrie higher
Ellis stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Kyrie took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Ellis | Kyrie |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #181 | — |
| 1890s | #171 | — |
| 1900s | #175 | — |
| 1910s | #193 | — |
| 1920s | #218 | — |
| 1930s | #255 | — |
| 1940s | #290 | — |
| 1950s | #368 | — |
| 1960s | #490 | — |
| 1970s | #640 | — |
| 1980s | #732 | #6369 |
| 1990s | #795 | #3988 |
| 2000s | #818 | #4261 |
| 2010s | #478 | #831 |
| 2020s | #291 | #232 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Ellis
- England & Wales#95
- Scotland#100
Kyrie
Not charting outside the US.
National statistics offices, latest published year.
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.
Kyrie
"Lord" — literally "O Lord," a direct form of address
From Greek kyrios, "lord, master." Kyrie is its vocative case, the form used when speaking to someone, which is why it survives in the prayer Kyrie eleison — "Lord, have mercy."
kyrios (Greek, "lord") → kyrie (Greek vocative, "O Lord") → Kyrie eleison (Christian liturgy) → Kyrie
How it traveled
The word belongs to ancient Greek, where kyrios meant lord or master and kyrie was how you addressed one. Early Christian worship in the Greek-speaking East used the plea Kyrie eleison, and when the liturgy of Rome moved into Latin, that petition stayed in Greek — the Kyrie became the first movement of the sung Mass and has been set to music by essentially every composer who wrote one.
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.
Kyrie
KY-ree
KY-ree (rhyming with "eerie" after a long i) is the standard American pronunciation for the name, and the one the basketball player uses. Sung in church, the same spelling is KEER-ee-ay — three syllables. Expect both, and expect to correct one of them.
- Ky — The most common short form in American use; also given on its own as a full name.
- Kye — Same sound as Ky, written out; informal, and used independently as a given name too.
- Rie — Rare, family-level nickname taken from the second half of the name.
Who has carried each name
Ellis
No documented entry for Ellis yet.
Kyrie
Kyrie Irving (b. 1992) — NBA champion with dazzling handles
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
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 on the way upup 83 places on the charts in five years
- a name that charts abroad tooEllis is on the national lists of England & Wales and Scotland
- a long American recordEllis was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Kyrie if you want…
- a name holding steadyKyrie is holding its place on the charts
- a newer arrivalKyrie entered the US charts in 1986
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.
Kyrie
Strengths
- Short, two syllables, and it yields ready-made nicknames in Ky and Kye that already stand alone as names.
- The spelling is fixed and already familiar to two very different audiences: anyone who follows basketball, and anyone who has sung a Mass.
- Documented as a word since ancient Greek and in continuous liturgical use for well over a thousand years, so it has depth behind a recent arrival.
To consider
- Two live pronunciations compete: KY-ree from the name's American use, KEER-ee-ay from the sung prayer. Whichever you choose, some people will arrive with the other one.
- The link to one very famous basketball player is strong right now, which means the name may be read as a sports reference first — comfortable for some families, less so for others.
- It is a word of address from Christian liturgy. Many people find that moving; some churchgoers find using a prayer word as a personal name uncomfortable, and it is worth knowing which camp your relatives fall into.
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 Kyrie 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
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Vintage names making a comeback
- Grandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to return
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- Names with a double letter
- all guides
Where Ellis and Kyrie each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Ellis or Kyrie — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Ellis or Kyrie?
- Ellis, in 2025: Ellis ranked #243 with 1,417 babies; Kyrie ranked #244 with 1,416 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Ellis or Kyrie?
- Ellis. Over the last five years Ellis moved up 83 places; Kyrie moved down 20 places.
- Which is the older name, Ellis or Kyrie?
- Ellis was already in use when US records began in 1880; Kyrie entered the US charts in 1986. On the American record, Ellis is the older name.
- How many people are named Ellis and Kyrie?
- About 29,000 people named Ellis are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 18,500 people named Kyrie are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Elliss or Kyries in the classroom?
- Ellis will almost certainly be the only one in school. Kyrie will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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