Ellis

Meaning: Yahweh is my God
Origin: English surname — From a medieval form of Elias

Meaning: Benevolent, kind
Origin: Welsh — From Elisedd

Boy's name · #243 in the US (2025) · Comeback

74% boys · 26% girls — Ellis is also given to girls: 415 in 2025, about 26% in recent years. Ellis →

Popularity over time

Ellis was #155 in 1899, slipped to #928 by 2001, and has climbed back to #243 today. Roughly 50,000 boys have been named Ellis since 1880.

Across the states

See where Ellis is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 47 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Ellis ranks in other countries and regions.

#92 in England & Wales (2025) · #100 in Scotland (2025) · #199 in N. Ireland (2025) · #268 in Canada (2025) · #272 in Ireland (2025) · #329 in Sweden (2025) · #746 in Switzerland (2025) · #900 in Belgium (2025) · #1,432 in Italy (2024) · #2,406 in France (2025) · #2,328 in Austria (2024) · #2,615 in Ecuador (2021) and 1 more.

Famous Ellises

Ellis Simms — English footballer (born 2001)
Ellis Marsalis Jr. — American jazz pianist and educator (1934–2020)
Ellis Genge — English rugby union player (born 1995)
Ellis Rabb — American actor (1930–1998)
Ellis R. Dungan — American director of Indian films (1909–2001)

As a surname

It is also an American family name — about 189,000 people carried it as a surname in the 2010 census.

Albert Ellis — American psychologist (1913–2007)
Bret Easton Ellis — American author, screenwriter, and director (born 1964)
Havelock Ellis — British physician, eugenicist, writer and social reformer (1859–1939)

In stories & tradition

Ellis Carver — Fictional character from The Wire
Ellis — Player character from the 2009 video game Left 4 Dead 2
Ellis Taylor — The West Wing (TV series)

What Ellises become

Among 359 notable people named Ellis:

Sports figures appear 1.36× more often than among typical names — e.g. Ellis Ferreira, South African tennis player (born 1970).

Similar names: Grady · Eli · Clark · Davis · Hollis · Harris

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

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