Given name & surname · also Welsh
Ellis
“Jehovah is my God”·“noble”·“kind”
In French use, Ellis has a related form in Alice. Alice’s older Germanic elements mean “noble” and “kind” or “type.” The connection with nobility belongs to the name’s linguistic roots. In French use, Ellis has a related form in Elijah. Interpretations include “yahweh is God” and “jehovah is my God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Ellis carries the interpretation “Jehovah is my God.” In French use, Ellis has a related form in Alice. Alice’s older Germanic elements mean “noble” and “kind” or “type.” The connection with nobility belongs to the name’s linguistic roots. In French use, Ellis has a related form in Elijah. Interpretations include “yahweh is God” and “jehovah is my God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions. Ellis is a variant of Ellyce. In English use, Ellyce carries the interpretation “the Lord is my God.” Ellis is a form of Elias. In Hebrew use, Elias carries the interpretation “Jehovah is my God.” In English use, Ellis is an affectionate form of Elizabeth. “God is my oath” is the etymological interpretation given for Elisabeth, the same name in a different spelling. “My God is bountiful” is another recorded interpretation, but the two should be kept distinct rather than blended into one literal translation.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Welsh.
How it developed
Ellis is used as a form of Elias. In French use, Ellis has a related form in Alice. The shared background comes through Alice: The longer Adalheidis was greatly shortened before reaching its Old French form. Alice and Adelaide therefore share an older source, even though they became distinct names. In English use, Ellis is an affectionate form of Elizabeth. The shared background comes through Elizabeth: English generally uses Elizabeth with a z, where many European languages retain Elisabeth with an s. Elisabeth is connected with Elisheba; its final element may have been reshaped through association with Hebrew shabbath, “sabbath.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Ellis through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 57,731
- 50,403 boys · 7,328 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 1,832 babies
- 2025
- 1,832
- #243 for boys · #682 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +15%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 73% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,417 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 243 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 16.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 415 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (115). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 25,901 as a first name in 2020; 182,308 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ellis’s family of names
In English usage, Ellis is an affectionate form of Elizabeth. Ellis has a surname derivative in Ellison. In French usage, Ellis has a related form in Alice.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ellis has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Elijahvariant · French
- Elizabethfull form · English
- Alicevariant · French, Danish
- Ellisevariant
- Ellistonvariant
- Ellicevariant · English
- Ellysvariant
- Ellycevariant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ellis
- Ellis Marsalis Jr.American jazz pianist and educator (1934–2020)
- Ellis Clarkelast Governor-General and first President of Trinidad and Tobago (1917-2010)
- James AbdnorAmerican congressman for South Dakota (1923-2012)
- Hedd WynWelsh poet who was killed on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele (1887–1917)
- Ellis FerreiraSouth African tennis player (born 1970)
- Ellis SimmsEnglish association football player (born 2001)
- Ellis KautGerman author of children's books (1920-2015)
- Ellis ArnallAmerican politician, Governor of Georgia (1907–1992)
- E. Y. BerryAmerican politician (1902-1999)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ellis, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Aris
“the best” · “one who is superior”
59% boys · 41% girls
Lennox
“one who owns many elm trees”
71% boys · 29% girls
Everest
“from the highest mountain peak”
73% boys · 27% girls
Quincy
“the fifth-born child”
66% boys · 34% girls
Wylie
“a clever and coy woman”
72% boys · 28% girls
Remington
“from the town of the raven's family”
65% boys · 35% girls
Prescott
“from the priest's cottage”
69% boys · 31% girls
Gentry
“woman with a high social standing” · “of good breeding; holding a high social standing”
52% boys · 48% girls