Ellis
Top 1000
About Ellis
Ellis, a surname used sparingly as a first in the Wallace/Morris period, sounds new now for girls, as a gender-neutral alternative to Ella or Alice. It debuted in the US Top 1000 for girls in 2015.-- Ellis has always been in the Top 1000 for boys -- and seems to be headed straight up. One of the most popular gender-neutral names, currently there are two baby boys named Ellis for every girl.
Ellis Bell was the name chosen by Emily Bronte as her male pseudonym, and Ellis Grey was the mother of Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy.
As of October 2026, Ellis ranked #682 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #597 in 2021, Nameberry popularity #847.
Editor's take: The name Ellis is a girl's name of Welsh origin meaning "benevolent".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,076 | 238 | 133.2 |
| 2015 | #963 | 282 | 158 |
| 2016 | #844 | 337 | 190.2 |
| 2017 | #743 | 380 | 220.1 |
| 2018 | #774 | 352 | 206.9 |
| 2019 | #717 | 398 | 237.1 |
| 2020 | #618 | 472 | 292 |
| 2021 | #597 | 501 | 305.3 |
| 2022 | #696 | 422 | 257.3 |
| 2023 | #750 | 375 | 233.7 |
| 2024 | #697 | 404 | 249.4 |
| 2025 | #682 | 415 | 258.2 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Ellis.
- Greer
- Maren
- Elliot
- Hollis
- Holland
- Leni
- Marlowe
- Merrit
- Sloan
- Sutton
- Marlow
- Ellery
- Jovie
- Collins
- Sloane
- Lane
- Bellamy
- Lennon
- Merritt
- Jordie
Ellis on lists
Famous Elliss
- Ellis Wylie
contender in the first season of "The Glee Project"
- Elis Regina
legendary Brazilian singer
- George Francis Rayner Ellis
one of the world's leading theorists in cosmology
- Ellis Ward
British television presenter
- Ellis Rowan
Natural history artist
Ellis in pop culture
- Dr. Ellis Grey
late mother of Dr. Meredith Grey on the TV show "Grey's Anatomy"
- Ellis Shepherd
daughter of Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd on the TV show "Grey's Anatomy"
- Ellis Island
a small island in New York Harbor that famously welcomed immigrants to the United States