Ellie
Ellie was the 24th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 6,176 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 21st with 6,317 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 24 places. More babies were named Ellie in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Eleanor, Elizabeth, etc. · English
Say it EL-ee /ˈɛli/
- Rank in 2025
- #24 girls, up 5 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 6,176girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20246,317 babies
- Total since 1880
- 106,857babies recorded
What does the name Ellie mean?
Ellie is an English pet form made by shortening a name and adding -ie. Wiktionary lists it as a pet form of Eleanor, Elizabeth and Elena, and for boys of Elliot. It has no separate meaning; its meaning is that of the full name it stands for.
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names.
Ellie popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,180 since 1883.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #24 | 6,176 |
| 2020 | #29 | 5,606 |
| 2010 | #104 | 2,912 |
| 2000 | #360 | 829 |
| 1990 | #1,039 | 173 |
| 1980 | #1,554 | 75 |
| 1970 | #1,935 | 44 |
| 1960 | #1,283 | 74 |
| 1950 | #1,396 | 43 |
| 1940 | #1,191 | 38 |
| 1930 | #998 | 55 |
| 1920 | #792 | 83 |
| 1910 | #589 | 50 |
| 1900 | #420 | 65 |
| 1890 | #401 | 40 |
| 1880 | #408 | 17 |
How popular is Ellie, counting every spelling?
Ellie is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #29 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #24 for Ellie on its own. Together these spellings went to 6,453 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellie | 6,176 | #24 | 30,119 |
| Elly | 129 | #1,613 | 612 |
| Elli | 56 | #2,966 | 304 |
| Ellee | 48 | #3,266 | 253 |
| Eleah | 16 | #6,916 | 68 |
| Elley | 13 | #8,005 | 68 |
| Ellea | 9 | #10,333 | 36 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Ellie?
6,176 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ellie (1.71 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Ellie born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 31. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ellie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ellie?
About 101,300 people born in the US named Ellie are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 5 and 16. That makes Ellie a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Ellie by state
How common Ellie was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alaska (3.0×), North Dakota (2.9×), Vermont (2.6×), West Virginia (2.5×), Wyoming (2.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in District of Columbia, New York, New Jersey.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ellie: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ellie, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ellie · Sibling names for Ellie
Ellie is also a nickname for Elisa, Elouise, Eliora, Eleanor, Elena, Eliana, Elizabeth and Ella.
Questions about the name Ellie
What does Ellie mean?
Ellie means “pet form of Eleanor, Elizabeth, etc.” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Ellie?
Ellie was the 24th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 6,176 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 21st with 6,317 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 24 places. More babies were named Ellie in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Ellie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Ellie in the US.
Where is Ellie most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ellie was most common in Alaska (11.04 per 1,000 girls), followed by North Dakota and Vermont.