Head to head · Boys' names
Ellis vs Milan
#243 vs #242 in 2025
Milan is a whisker ahead (#242 vs #243 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Milan is climbing the charts fast, Ellis is back after a long quiet spell.
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
The tape is even: Ellis and Milan each lead 3 measures of 6.
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, Milan #836 — Ellis higher
- 1890s: Ellis #171, Milan #1066 — Ellis higher
- 1900s: Ellis #175, Milan #1225 — Ellis higher
- 1910s: Ellis #193, Milan #846 — Ellis higher
- 1920s: Ellis #218, Milan #686 — Ellis higher
- 1930s: Ellis #255, Milan #795 — Ellis higher
- 1940s: Ellis #290, Milan #921 — Ellis higher
- 1950s: Ellis #368, Milan #1011 — Ellis higher
- 1960s: Ellis #490, Milan #1172 — Ellis higher
- 1970s: Ellis #640, Milan #1314 — Ellis higher
- 1980s: Ellis #732, Milan #1549 — Ellis higher
- 1990s: Ellis #795, Milan #1310 — Ellis higher
- 2000s: Ellis #818, Milan #1247 — Ellis higher
- 2010s: Ellis #478, Milan #680 — Ellis higher
- 2020s: Ellis #291, Milan #308 — Ellis higher
Ellis stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Ellis | Milan |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #181 | #836 |
| 1890s | #171 | #1066 |
| 1900s | #175 | #1225 |
| 1910s | #193 | #846 |
| 1920s | #218 | #686 |
| 1930s | #255 | #795 |
| 1940s | #290 | #921 |
| 1950s | #368 | #1011 |
| 1960s | #490 | #1172 |
| 1970s | #640 | #1314 |
| 1980s | #732 | #1549 |
| 1990s | #795 | #1310 |
| 2000s | #818 | #1247 |
| 2010s | #478 | #680 |
| 2020s | #291 | #308 |
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
Milan
- Canada#94
- France#99
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.
Milan
Dear, gracious, kind — from the Slavic element mil-
Two different names share this spelling. The Slavic given name is built on mil- 'dear, gracious', the same element behind Milena, Miloš and Milica; that reading is well established. But some American parents take the name from the Italian city, whose own name goes back to Latin Mediolanum, usually read as 'in the middle of the plain'. Which meaning belongs to a particular child depends entirely on which road the family walked in on.
mil- (Slavic element, 'dear, gracious') → Milan
How it traveled
Milan is one of the old Slavic compound-style names, rooted in mil- 'dear', and it has been in continuous use as a man's name in the Czech lands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia for many centuries. Quite separately, English speakers have long called the Lombard city Milano by the shorter form Milan, so the word was already familiar in America as a place before it was common as a 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.
Milan
mee-LAHN
Most American families say mee-LAHN, like the city. Czech, Slovak and Serbian speakers stress the first syllable: MEE-lahn. Both are correct for the name; expect to state your preference more than once.
- Mila — The most portable short form; also a fully established given name of its own, most often for girls.
- Mile — The standard informal short form in Serbian and Croatian, where it also stands alone as a man's name.
- Milo — Used informally in English-speaking households, though Milo is a separate given name in its own right.
- Mio — An affectionate family-level shortening, not much used outside the home.
Who has carried each name
Ellis
No documented entry for Ellis yet.
Milan
Milan Kundera (b. 1929) — Wrote The Unbearable Lightness of Being
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 long American recordEllis was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 30% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 56% for Milan
Choose Milan if you want…
- a name on the way upup 189 places on the charts in five years
- a newer arrivalMilan entered the US charts in 1885
- a name that feels very nowMilan is climbing the charts fast
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.
Milan
Strengths
- Short, phonetic and spelled the way it sounds in most European languages — one of the easier names to carry across borders.
- Also charts in Canada and France, so it is recognizable well beyond US records.
- Centuries of unbroken use across Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian and Slovene naming, which gives it real depth behind a modern-sounding surface.
To consider
- Two live pronunciations, mee-LAHN and MEE-lahn, both legitimate. Families with Slavic roots may say it one way and teachers another, and the correction becomes a small lifelong habit.
- Many people will hear the Italian city first and assume the name is a travel souvenir. That is a fine story if it is yours, and slightly tiring if it isn't.
- This spelling goes mostly to boys in US records, with a real minority of girls. A girl named Milan will meet forms and rosters that guessed wrong, which is manageable but worth expecting.
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.
Milan
56%chance Milan feels dated by 2040
Milan is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
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 Milan 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 that carry both names
Every list here names both Ellis and Milan — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Ellis or Milan — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Ellis or Milan?
- Milan, in 2025: Milan ranked #242 with 1,418 babies; Ellis ranked #243 with 1,417 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Ellis or Milan?
- Milan. Over the last five years Ellis moved up 83 places; Milan moved up 189 places.
- Which is the older name, Ellis or Milan?
- Ellis was already in use when US records began in 1880; Milan entered the US charts in 1885. On the American record, Ellis is the older name.
- How many people are named Ellis and Milan?
- About 29,000 people named Ellis are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 16,000 people named Milan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Elliss or Milans in the classroom?
- Ellis will almost certainly be the only one in school. Milan 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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