Ellis
Ellis is a unisex name of Welsh origin meaning “benevolent, kind; my God is Yahweh.” It ranked #243 in the United States in 2025. Derived from the Welsh name Elisedd, related to the Hebrew Elias.
how do you pronounce Ellis?
EL-is
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Ellis mean?
The name Ellis means “benevolent, kind; my God is Yahweh.” It comes from the Welsh language tradition.
Derived from the Welsh name Elisedd, related to the Hebrew Elias. It also recalls Ellis Island, the iconic U.S. immigration gateway, giving it a sense of heritage and new beginnings.
where does the name Ellis come from?
Wiktionary gives two separate threads for Ellis: as an English surname it comes from Elis, an anglicized form of Elias (compare Elijah, Lias, Ely), and sometimes from Elice, a pet form of Elizabeth; as a Welsh surname it is shortened from Elisedd, glossed there as 'benevolent, kind.' The 'my God is Yahweh' sense sometimes attached via Elijah is not itself spelled out in the source, only the Elias/Elijah connection.
the history of Ellis
Wikipedia confirms only that Ellis is a given name of Welsh and English origin, without further historical detail; the Ellis Island association mentioned elsewhere is not addressed by anything retrieved here.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #243 |
| 2024 | #273 |
| 2023 | #275 |
| 2022 | #307 |
| 2021 | #320 |
| 2020 | #326 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Ellis?
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Ellis?
- Ellis Island
- Ellis Paul
what names are similar to Ellis?
what names go well with Ellis?
Sibling names that share Ellis's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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