Ellis first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Ellis has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Ellis

A first name for boys derived from the surname Ellis, which originated as an English form of the Greek name Elias.

Popularity of Ellis by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Ellis is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 76% of people named Ellis being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 1,228 male babies and 370 female babies born with the name Ellis.

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 1,228 370
2022 1,089 418
2021 1,035 501
2020 1,009 468
2019 975 398
2018 1,063 352
2017 1,109 380
2016 999 336
2015 739 282
2014 680 238
2013 501 227
2012 403 216
2011 312 186
2010 314 151
2009 328 124
2008 276 110
2007 262 111
2006 267 100
2005 246 85
2004 212 47
2003 211 54
2002 177 40
2001 167 50
2000 209 34
1999 180 32
1998 184 46
1997 196 38
1996 187 30
1995 166 38
1994 160 21
1993 167 34
1992 186 23
1991 189 12
1990 181 13
1989 172 11
1988 146 15
1987 162 11
1986 161 13
1985 148 8
1984 134 0
1983 140 0
1982 122 5
1981 157 9
1980 172 0
1979 167 5
1978 136 8
1977 154 0
1976 175 0
1975 137 0
1974 172 0

The history of the first name Ellis

The name Ellis is an English given name derived from the Old English surname Ellys, which itself originated from an Old English personal name Ęlle, meaning "foreign." The name likely came into use as a personal name in England during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Ellis is found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned in 1086 by William the Conqueror. The entry includes a landowner named Ellis from Yorkshire.

A notable historical figure with the name Ellis was Ellis de Hauvill, a 12th-century English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1199 to 1201. He played a key role in the negotiations surrounding the Magna Carta.

In the 16th century, Ellis Heywood (c. 1530 - 1578) was an English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake for his religious beliefs during the Marian persecutions.

During the American Revolutionary War, Ellis Hughes (1730 - 1794) was a Welsh-born American patriot who served as a Deputy Governor of Georgia and fought in the Siege of Savannah.

In the field of literature, Ellis Parker Butler (1869 - 1937) was an American author best known for his short story "Pigs is Pigs," which became a popular humorous tale.

Another notable figure with the name Ellis was Ellis Arnall (1907 - 1992), a politician who served as the 67th Governor of Georgia from 1943 to 1947, and was later appointed as the Director of the Office of Price Stabilization by President Harry S. Truman.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Ellis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ellis, please contact us.

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"Ellis first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 31, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/ellis-meaning-and-history/.

"Ellis first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/ellis-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 31 October, 2024

Ellis first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/ellis-meaning-and-history/.

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