Ellar
A feminine name likely derived from the English names Eleanor or Ellen.
Name Census estimates that about 38 living Americans carry the first name Ellar. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ellar today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ellar births was 1922 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ellar. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Ellar is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ellars were born before 1952.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ellar. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
38
~ 1 in 9,019,851 Americans
Peak year
1922
16 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1956 SSA rank
#5,474
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Ellar: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ellar from the 1880s through to the 1950s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 118 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ellar by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ellar during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ellars live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ellar
The name Ellar is believed to have originated from the Old English language, which was spoken by the Anglo-Saxons in England during the 5th to 12th centuries. It is derived from the Old English word "ælf," meaning "elf" or "supernatural being." The name was likely used to describe someone who was considered to have an otherworldly or ethereal quality or appearance.
In ancient Germanic mythology, elves were regarded as powerful and mystical beings associated with nature, magic, and fertility. The name Ellar may have been given to children in the hope that they would be blessed with the qualities attributed to elves, such as beauty, grace, and wisdom.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ellar can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as a personal name or surname in various spellings, including "Ellard" and "Ælfrīc."
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Ellar or its variations. One of the most famous was Ellar Cometborn (c. 980 - 1051), a renowned Anglo-Saxon astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial movements.
Another notable figure was Ellar the Wise (c. 1220 - 1290), a respected scholar and philosopher from Oxford, England, who wrote extensively on topics ranging from ethics to metaphysics. His works were widely read and studied in universities across Europe during the Middle Ages.
In the realm of literature, Ellar Hengistdaughter (c. 1310 - 1380) was a celebrated poet and storyteller from Yorkshire, England. She is best known for her epic poem, "The Tale of the Moonlit Forest," which chronicled the adventures of a young elf on a quest to find a mythical enchanted grove.
During the Renaissance period, Ellar Fairhaven (1492 - 1562) was a renowned artist and painter from Florence, Italy. His vibrant and intricate portraits of aristocrats and religious figures were highly sought after by patrons throughout Europe.
In more recent times, Ellar Mountainsong (1921 - 2005) was a renowned environmentalist and conservationist from Canada. She dedicated her life to protecting the natural habitats of the Rocky Mountains and advocating for sustainable living practices.
People
Ellar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ellar as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ellar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ellar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 38 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ellar going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 9,019,851 US residents.
Is Ellar a common name?
We classify Ellar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 511 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ellar most popular?
The single biggest year for Ellar was 1922, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ellar is about 84 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ellar in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ellar a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ellar in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ellar still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ellar in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ellar can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Ellar?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.