Head to head · Boys' names
Ellis vs Mark
#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, Mark 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 3 measures of 6; Mark leads 2.
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, Mark #147 — Mark higher
- 1890s: Ellis #171, Mark #160 — Mark higher
- 1900s: Ellis #175, Mark #190 — Ellis higher
- 1910s: Ellis #193, Mark #204 — Ellis higher
- 1920s: Ellis #218, Mark #208 — Mark higher
- 1930s: Ellis #255, Mark #184 — Mark higher
- 1940s: Ellis #290, Mark #81 — Mark higher
- 1950s: Ellis #368, Mark #12 — Mark higher
- 1960s: Ellis #490, Mark #7 — Mark higher
- 1970s: Ellis #640, Mark #20 — Mark higher
- 1980s: Ellis #732, Mark #34 — Mark higher
- 1990s: Ellis #795, Mark #54 — Mark higher
- 2000s: Ellis #818, Mark #115 — Mark higher
- 2010s: Ellis #478, Mark #190 — Mark higher
- 2020s: Ellis #291, Mark #245 — Mark higher
Mark stood higher in 13 of 15 decades; Mark has held the lead since the 1920s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Ellis | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #181 | #147 |
| 1890s | #171 | #160 |
| 1900s | #175 | #190 |
| 1910s | #193 | #204 |
| 1920s | #218 | #208 |
| 1930s | #255 | #184 |
| 1940s | #290 | #81 |
| 1950s | #368 | #12 |
| 1960s | #490 | #7 |
| 1970s | #640 | #20 |
| 1980s | #732 | #34 |
| 1990s | #795 | #54 |
| 2000s | #818 | #115 |
| 2010s | #478 | #190 |
| 2020s | #291 | #245 |
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
Mark
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.
Mark
of Mars
Marcus is generally read as belonging to Mars, and the derivation is standard though, like most very old Roman praenomina, reconstructed rather than recorded. Mars himself changed considerably over Roman history: he begins as a god of agriculture and boundaries and becomes the god of war, which means the name's association shifted underneath it. The month of March carries the same name.
Marcus → Marcus → Mark
How it traveled
The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the four and almost certainly the first written; the other two synoptic Gospels appear to have used it as a source, which makes it the earliest sustained account of Jesus that survives. Tradition connects its author to Peter.
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.
Mark
MARK
MARK, one syllable, rhyming with dark. French drops the k sound and says MAHR; Italian and Spanish add a syllable. The English reading has been stable for many centuries and there has never been any ambiguity in it.
- Marky — The name softened, which belongs to childhood in most households.
- Marco — The Italian form used as a nickname, which travels well beyond Italian families.
Who has carried each name
Ellis
No documented entry for Ellis yet.
Mark
Mark Twain (b. 1835) — America's greatest humorist, creator of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn
Mark Zuckerberg (b. 1984) — Built Facebook in his dorm room
Mark Ruffalo (b. 1967) — Marvel's Hulk
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 with more sound in itEllis runs 2 syllables, Mark 1
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Eli, Ellie and El
- a name that charts abroad tooEllis is on the national lists of England & Wales and Scotland
Choose Mark if you want…
- a name holding steadyMark is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesMark is 1 syllable to Ellis's 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.
Mark
Strengths
- One syllable, four letters, understood instantly in every European language.
- It is one of only a handful of Roman first names still in ordinary use anywhere.
- It needs no short form and has never acquired one, which suits people who dislike being shortened.
To consider
- The word mark is an ordinary English noun and verb, which gets played on regularly.
- It is strongly associated with the middle of the last century in America and dates a person fairly closely.
- A great many people carry it, so a Mark will rarely be the only one in a workplace.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Ellis
30%chance Ellis feels dated by 2040
Ellis is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
Mark
12%chance Mark feels dated by 2040
Mark has held the top-100 across 6 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
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 Mark 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 Mark?
Put both to the vote.
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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
- 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 Mark each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Ellis or Mark — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Ellis or Mark?
- Ellis, in 2025: Ellis ranked #243 with 1,417 babies; Mark ranked #244 with 1,416 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Ellis or Mark?
- Ellis. Over the last five years Ellis moved up 83 places; Mark moved down 9 places.
- Which is the older name, Ellis or Mark?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Ellis and Mark?
- About 29,000 people named Ellis are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 1,112,000 people named Mark are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Elliss or Marks in the classroom?
- Ellis will almost certainly be the only one in school. Mark 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
Keep playing
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