Mostly boys · peaked in 1899
Ellis name popularity since 1925
47,026 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Ellis (14.9% girls, 85.1% boys). Half of them were born in 1995 or earlier, so the typical Ellis is about 31 years old in 2026. Ellis peaked in 1899 as the #155 name for boys, and it ranked #243 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 47,026
- Named Ellis, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1899
- #155 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #243
- for boys in 2025 (1,417 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 85.1% boys
- 7,007 girls · 40,019 boys
- Most popular in
- Mississippi
- 3.19× its national share
Peak year is the year Ellis made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Ellis births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2025. Measured as a share of all babies, Ellis peaked earlier, in 1899.
- Fastest rise: Between 2011 and 2016, Ellis became 3.2× more common, from 1 in 6,070 baby boys to 1 in 1,900.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Ellis's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Ellis.
Decade by decade
Babies named Ellis in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 87 | 2,888 | – |
| 1930s | 129 | 4,482 | #257 |
| 1940s | 124 | 4,617 | #292 |
| 1950s | 106 | 3,970 | #375 |
| 1960s | 62 | 2,596 | #502 |
| 1970s | 29 | 1,664 | #709 |
| 1980s | 72 | 1,514 | #726 |
| 1990s | 287 | 1,796 | #835 |
| 2000s | 755 | 2,355 | #790 |
| 2010s | 2,767 | 7,098 | #422 |
| 2020–25 | 2,589 | 7,039 | #243 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
38.1% of babies named Ellis from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Ellis is most popular
The index compares Ellis's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Ellis.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 3.19× | 1,609 |
| Alabama | 2.52× | 1,855 |
| Louisiana | 2.50× | 1,866 |
| Georgia | 2.15× | 2,475 |
| Arkansas | 1.99× | 854 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Ellis's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Ellis.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Ellis (1899).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data