Ellis

“From a surname — from Elias (Elijah); or Welsh Elisedd, from elus 'benevolent, kind'” — Welsh/English origin

Girl's name · #682 in the US (2025) · 2020s

Ellis is near its high-water mark: it reached #597 in 2021 and still ranked #682 in 2025. About 7,300 girls have carried it since 1883. It is also an American family name — about 189,000 people carry it as a surname, according to US census data. About 74% of babies named Ellis in recent years have been boys.

Around the world: about 1 in 800 girls in Belgium (2025) · about 1 in 1,100 girls in Scotland (2025) · about 1 in 5,300 girls in Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 36 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Ellises

Ellis Rowan — Australian artist, botanical illustrator and botanical collector (1848-1922)
Ellis Kaut — German author of children's books (1920-2015)
Ellis Avery — American writer (1972-2019)
Ellis Jeffreys — British actress
Ellis Reynolds Shipp — American physician

In stories & tradition

Ellis Grey — Grey's Anatomy
Ellis — Battle Arena Toshinden
Ellis Wyatt — Atlas Shrugged

What Ellises become

Among 360 notable people named Ellis:

Sports figures appear 1.35× more often than among typical names — e.g. Ellis O'Reilly, Irish artistic gymnast.

Similar names: Ellison · Berkley · Elia · Sloan · Ellery · Elsy

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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