Ellee
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly an elaboration of Ella.
Name Census estimates that about 1,387 living Americans carry the first name Ellee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ellee today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ellee births was 2013 (85 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ellee. 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
- • Ellee is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 14 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 247,119 Americans
Peak year
2013
85 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,177
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Ellee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ellee from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 674 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ellee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ellee 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 Ellee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ellees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. Texas, California, Utah recorded the most babies named Ellee, while Virginia, New York, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ellee
The given name Ellee is a relatively modern variation of the traditional name Ellie, which has its roots in the Hebrew name Eleanor. The name Eleanor itself is derived from the medieval French form of the Provençal name Aliénor, which was composed of two elements – the Germanic 'ali' meaning "other" and the Germanic 'nór' meaning "vigor" or "honor."
The name Ellee first emerged in the English-speaking world during the late 20th century as a unique spelling variation of the more common Ellie. While the name Ellie has a long and storied history, with records of its use dating back to the 12th century, the specific spelling Ellee is a relatively recent innovation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ellee can be found in the 1974 film "Ellee," which featured a character with this spelling. However, it wasn't until the late 1990s and early 2000s that the name began to gain more widespread popularity, likely influenced by the growing trend of creative name spellings.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the traditional spelling of Eleanor or its variations. One of the most famous was Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204), the renowned queen consort of both France and England, who played a prominent role in the politics of medieval Europe.
Another notable Eleanor was Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), the influential First Lady of the United States and a leading advocate for human rights and social justice. In the literary world, Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) was a celebrated British author and poet, best known for her children's books and verse.
While the specific spelling Ellee is relatively new, it has already been adopted by a few public figures. Ellee Marie Fletcher (born 1992) is an American singer-songwriter and actress, known for her work in the music industry and television shows like "The Revolution" and "America's Next Top Model."
Ellee Taft (born 1982) is an American actress and model, who has appeared in various television shows and films, including "The Vampire Diaries" and "Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation." These are just a few examples of individuals who have embraced the unique spelling of Ellee, contributing to its growing popularity in recent years.
People
Ellee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ellee 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
Ellee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ellee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,387 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ellee 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 247,119 US residents.
Is Ellee a common name?
We classify Ellee as "Rare". It ranks above 92% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,401 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ellee most popular?
The single biggest year for Ellee was 2013, when 85 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ellee is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ellee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ellee 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.
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.