Ellis
Masculine · “From Elias/Elijah”
Ellis is given to both — 50,403 boys and 7,328 girls since 1880. See Ellis as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Ellis has been in English and Welsh mouths since the Middle Ages, first as a given name in its own right and then for centuries as a surname passed down families. Most Americans already know the spelling from Ellis Island in New York Harbor, which took its name from a colonial-era owner of the island. Two syllables, no silent letters, and nothing to explain twice.
How old is the name Ellis?
Ellis was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Ellis alive today was born around 1957, making them about 68 years old. About 29,000 people named Ellis are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ellis most popular?
Ellis peaked in 1899, reaching #154 nationally. Today it ranks #243, 89 places below that high. See the whole 1899 chart.
Where it comes from
From Eliyahu to Ellis
The story of Ellis
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. From there the surname went the way surnames do in America: onto family trees, onto a small island in New York Harbor that became the country's great immigration station, and eventually back onto babies as a first name. It still charts in England, Wales and Scotland, where the Welsh thread has never really been cut.
Meaningscholars disagree
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.
How the name formed
- Eliyahu
- Elias
- Elis
- Ellis
Related forms: Elis · Elias · Élie · Elia · Eliyahu · Ilyas
Pronouncing 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.
Nicknames for Ellis
High
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 20251,417 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #154reached in 1899
- Change vs 2022
- +29.5%1,417 in 2025, from 1,094
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Ellis in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Elis in Welsh — spelling variant
- Elias in German, Scandinavian — related form
- Élie in French — related form
- Elia in Italian — related form
- Eliyahu in Hebrew — transliteration
- Ilyas in Arabic — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, New York. International figures from Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland. Sources
Elliss among us
people named Ellis are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 1,205 born in 2025 was named Ellis
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
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.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Ellis is headed
Ellis should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Ellis beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Ellis in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- 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.
- Long, unbroken record — a medieval given name, then a surname, now a first name again, with no gap where it disappeared.
- 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.
- It is climbing back after a long quiet stretch, which means fewer classmates share it now, but the name is being rediscovered by other parents at the same time you found it.
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What they receive
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Ellis
Masculine · #243 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Elliss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 29,000 people named Ellis are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ellis in 2025?
- Ellis ranks #243 among US boy names in 2025, with 1,417 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Ellis?
- About 1 in every 1,205 US boys born in 2025 was named Ellis — 1,417 in all.
- Will my child share the name Ellis with classmates?
- Ellis will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Ellis
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Mark#244 · Milan#242 · Kyrie#244 · Adonis#241 · Warren#240 · Shepherd#246 · Ronan#247 · Muhammad#239
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ellis? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ellis and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration; international figures from national statistics agencies. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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