Ellis
Ellis was the 243rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,417 babies. Its best year was 1899, when it ranked 155th; the most babies were born in 2025 (1,417). Over the last ten years it has moved up 179 places. More babies were named Ellis in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Elis, a medieval form of Elijah · English, Hebrew, Welsh
Say it EL-is /ˈɛlɪs/
- Rank in 2025
- #243 boys, up 83 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,417boys
- Girls and boys
- 26% girls, 74% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,417 babies
- Total since 1880
- 57,731babies recorded
What does the name Ellis mean?
Ellis began as an English surname taken from Elis, the everyday medieval form of Elias, which is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew prophet's name Elijah, "my God is Yahweh". DMNES records the vernacular forms Elis and Elys in English bynames of 1379. Wiktionary adds a separate Welsh source: a shortening of the old personal name Elisedd, linked to an archaic word meaning "kind, benevolent". Today it is used for both boys and girls, transferred from the surname.
Elis (Middle English, “form of Elias/Elijah”)אֵלִיָּהוּ (Biblical Hebrew, “my God is Yahweh”)Elisedd (Welsh, “personal name, linked to elus 'kind'”)
How sure is this? Probable. The English (Elijah) origin is well attested; the Welsh derivation from Elisedd rests on Wiktionary alone.
Related names: Elias, Elijah, Ellison.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ellis', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Elias', DMNES, Durham University
- Wiktionary, entry 'Elijah', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
Ellis popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #682 | #243 | 415 | 1,417 |
| 2020 | #618 | #326 | 472 | 1,010 |
| 2010 | #1,491 | #729 | 151 | 314 |
| 2000 | #3,757 | #787 | 34 | 209 |
| 1990 | #6,582 | #757 | 13 | 181 |
| 1980 | — | #661 | — | 172 |
| 1970 | #8,350 | #594 | 5 | 186 |
| 1960 | #3,403 | #421 | 14 | 358 |
| 1950 | #2,070 | #319 | 22 | 461 |
| 1940 | #3,030 | #270 | 9 | 430 |
| 1930 | #2,740 | #242 | 11 | 523 |
| 1920 | #2,499 | #204 | 14 | 646 |
| 1910 | — | #185 | — | 147 |
| 1900 | — | #173 | — | 120 |
| 1890 | — | #190 | — | 71 |
| 1880 | — | #210 | — | 58 |
How popular is Ellis, counting every spelling?
Ellis is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #259 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #243 for Ellis on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,428 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis | 1,417 | #243 | 6,029 |
| Elis | 11 | #7,326 | 74 |
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 Ellis?
1,417 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ellis (0.39 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Ellis born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 6 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ellis.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ellis?
About 28,200 people born in the US named Ellis are alive today, with a median age of 17; half are between 7 and 57. That makes Ellis mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Ellis by state
How common Ellis was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maine (3.2×), District of Columbia (2.7×), Iowa (2.5×), Oregon (2.2×), Rhode Island (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Nevada, Hawaii.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ellis: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ellis, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ellis · Sibling names for Ellis
Questions about the name Ellis
What does Ellis mean?
Ellis means “from Elis, a medieval form of Elijah” (English, Hebrew, Welsh origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Ellis?
Ellis was the 243rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,417 babies. Its best year was 1899, when it ranked 155th; the most babies were born in 2025 (1,417). Over the last ten years it has moved up 179 places. More babies were named Ellis in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Ellis a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 26% girls, 74% boys given the name Ellis in the US.
Where is Ellis most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ellis was most common in Vermont (2.39 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maine and District of Columbia.