Ellis
An old surname with a Welsh streak and a quiet finish
Popularity over time
Ellis ranked #243 among boys born in the U.S. in 2025. Its highest rank was #155, in 1899. In 2000 it was #787. It is used for girls too: #682 among girls in 2025.
Rank among U.S. boys (#1 is the most common). Higher on the chart means more popular. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
How it sounds
Living with the name Ellis
Over the phone, Ellis sounds a lot like Alice. Tell a receptionist the name and you may hear "Alice?" back, or "Elliot?" if they are guessing at a boy. Spell it once, E-L-L-I-S, and the problem usually ends there. That mix-up is the main thing to live with. Adults may also mention the island in New York Harbor. It was named for Samuel Ellis, an 18th-century merchant from Wrexham in Wales, which is a nice tie if your family has Welsh roots.
The name started out as a surname. Most sources trace it to Elis, an everyday medieval form of Elias, which is the Greek version of Elijah. In Wales it also stood in for the old Welsh name Elisedd. Either way it has centuries behind it, so it never reads as invented. Grandparents tend to accept it quickly for that reason.
You will meet more boys than girls named Ellis, but it works for both. Two short syllables and a hiss at the end mean it pairs well with surnames that open on a hard sound, as in Ellis Grant or Ellis Booth. Surnames that begin with S blur into it, so Ellis Smith runs together. A small Ellis might go by Eli at home. A grown one sounds like the colleague who read the whole brief. It is also easy to write in cursive, which matters more to a six-year-old than you might think.
Things to consider
- Elias is very close in sound and spelling. If a cousin or sibling already has Elias or Eli, the two will get swapped at every holiday, and the kids may start to mind by age ten.
- Because Ellis is a common surname in Wales and England, some forms and new teachers will ask which part is the first name. A child with a surname that also sounds like a first name, say Ellis James, gets this the most.
- Possessives look odd for a moment on paper. Teachers write Ellis's and Ellis' both ways, and both are fine, though style guides argue about it. Your child will pick one in second grade and stick with it.
Names that pair well
Sibling names
Middle names to try
- Ellis Rose
- Ellis Owen
- Ellis Mae
- Ellis Gareth
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Questions parents ask about Ellis
Is Eli a natural nickname for Ellis?
It fits well, since Eli is simply the first sound of the name. Some families like it because it quietly nods back to Elias, where Ellis started. Others skip nicknames altogether, as two syllables is already short. If you want Eli as the everyday name, try calling it out a few times before you decide.
Is Ellis Welsh or English?
Both, depending on the family. In England it grew from Elis, a medieval everyday form of Elias, and later settled in as a surname. In Wales it was also used as an English spelling for the old name Elisedd. So a family with Welsh roots can claim it fairly, and so can one with English roots.
Would Ellis work for a daughter?
Yes. It has been used for girls for some time, though it still leans boy in most places. On a girl it sounds tailored and calm, a bit like Eloise with the frills cut off. A softer middle name, like Ellis Rose, warms it up if you want that.
Meanings and origins follow the name dictionaries listed below. Where sources disagree we say so. Nicknames mix common short forms with informal ones families make up. A name's meaning says nothing about who a child will become.
Sources
- behindthename.com /name/ellis
- en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Ellis_Island
- U.S. Social Security Administration baby name data, popularity ranks
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