# Ellen (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/ellen/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛl.ən/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Nellie |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 276,029 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 745 / 275,284 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 8,819, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Medieval English variant of Helen, from Ancient Greek Ἑλένη (Helénē); also used as a variant of Eleanor or a feminine counterpart to Elliot.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 401 | 696 |
| 2012 | 374 | 743 |
| 2013 | 403 | 700 |
| 2014 | 435 | 657 |
| 2015 | 406 | 701 |
| 2016 | 450 | 653 |
| 2017 | 385 | 735 |
| 2018 | 356 | 765 |
| 2019 | 347 | 797 |
| 2020 | 336 | 809 |
| 2021 | 289 | 921 |
| 2022 | 255 | 1,018 |
| 2023 | 239 | 1,052 |
| 2024 | 246 | 1,026 |
| 2025 | 230 | 1,062 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 10 | 2,668 |
| 1966 | 6 | 3,643 |
| 1967 | 6 | 3,673 |
| 1968 | 7 | 3,457 |
| 1974 | 6 | 4,807 |
| 1976 | 9 | 3,807 |
| 1979 | 5 | 6,341 |
| 1983 | 5 | 6,551 |
| 1984 | 7 | 5,136 |
| 1986 | 8 | 5,002 |
| 1987 | 5 | 7,298 |
| 1988 | 5 | 7,627 |
| 1989 | 9 | 5,302 |
| 1990 | 7 | 6,635 |
| 1993 | 6 | 7,935 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 189 | 258 |
| 2012 | 179 | 274 |
| 2013 | 124 | 366 |
| 2014 | 132 | 348 |
| 2015 | 119 | 384 |
| 2016 | 92 | 475 |
| 2017 | 108 | 405 |
| 2018 | 94 | 458 |
| 2019 | 74 | 545 |
| 2020 | 82 | 494 |
| 2021 | 56 | 683 |
| 2022 | 46 | 785 |
| 2023 | 36 | 962 |
| 2024 | 51 | 736 |
| 2025 | 33 | 1,028 |

## In other languages

- Catalan: Elena
- Danish: Ellen
- Estonian: Ellen
- Finnish: Ellen
- German: Ellen
- Irish: Eibhlín
- Norwegian: Ellen
- Russian: Алёна
- Swedish: Ellen
- Ukrainian: Альона

## People named Ellen

- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 24th president of Liberia
- Ellen DeGeneres, American comedian, television host, actress, and writer (born 1958)
- Ellen Burstyn, American actress
- Ellen G. White, American author, co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (1827–1915)
- Ellen Pompeo, American actress (born 1969)
- Ellen Barkin, American actress
- Ellen Terry, English actress (1847–1928)
- Ellen Axson Wilson, First Lady of the United States from 1913 to 1914
- Ellen Swallow Richards, American chemist (1842-1911)
- Ellen Ochoa, American engineer and former astronaut
- Ellen S. Baker, American physician and astronaut
- Ellen Corby, American actress (1911-1999)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.