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    The surname Ellis

    A patronymic surname, carried by 188,968 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /ˈɛ.lɪs/ 2 syllables Soundex E420 Also a first name

    Ellis: #131 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Ellis #131, 188,968 people Ellis: #131 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#1,000Archer Ellis #131, 188,968 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Ellis is more common than 99.9% of them.

    Origin

    * As an English surname, from the Middle English personal name Elis, an Old French form of Elias. Compare Elijah, Lias, Ely. Also sometimes from the Elice, a pet form of Elizabeth. * As a Welsh surname, shortened from the personal name Elisse, Elisedd, from the archaic elus (“benevolent, kind”).

    Ellis is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 188,968 people named Ellis in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,634 Americans. That is up 3.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 181,934.

    #131
    rank among US surnames
    188,968
    people in 2010
    64
    per 100,000 Americans
    +3.9%
    change since 2000 (was #121)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #122Griffin198,4061,556
    #123Wallace197,2761,565
    #124Moreno196,9251,568
    #125West195,8181,577
    #126Cole195,2891,581
    #127Hayes194,2461,589
    #128Bryant192,7731,602

    Who is named Ellis

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    70% of people named Ellis identified as white (not Hispanic), 23% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.7% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

    • White (not Hispanic) 70%
    • Black (not Hispanic) 23%
    • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.7%
    • Two or more races 2.2%
    • American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%
    • Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Elliss

    60 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Albert Ellis
      American psychologist (1913–2007)
    • Bret Easton Ellis
      American novelist, screenwriter, born 1964
    • Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
      American actress, born 1969
    • Nelsan Ellis
      American actor (1977–2017)
    • Monta Ellis
      American basketball player (born 1985)
    • David R. Ellis
      American film director and actor (1952-2013)
    • Herb Ellis
      American jazz guitarist (1921–2010)
    • Jay Ellis
      American actor, born 1981
    • Mary Elizabeth Ellis
      American actress, born 1979
    • Jill Ellis
      American soccer coach and executive, born 1966
    • Kendall Ellis
      American sprinter, born 1996
    • Dale Ellis
      American basketball player (born 1960)

    Notable Elliss come mostly from the United States (49), the United Kingdom (5) and Australia (2).

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Variant spellings

    • Ellice

    Surnames that sound like Ellis

    Ellis has the Soundex code E420, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code E420.

    Questions

    Where does the surname Ellis come from?
    * As an English surname, from the Middle English personal name Elis, an Old French form of Elias. Compare Elijah, Lias, Ely. Also sometimes from the Elice, a pet form of Elizabeth. * As a Welsh surname, shortened from the personal name Elisse, Elisedd, from the archaic elus (“benevolent, kind”).
    How common is the surname Ellis?
    188,968 people in the United States had the surname Ellis in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,634 Americans. It ranked 131st of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Ellis?
    In the 2010 Census, 70% of people named Ellis identified as white (not Hispanic), and 23% as Black (not Hispanic).
    Who is the most famous person named Ellis?
    Albert Ellis, American psychologist (1913–2007), followed by Bret Easton Ellis.
    Where is the surname Ellis most common?
    Wikidata records people named Ellis in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 2 other countries.
    How do you pronounce Ellis?
    Ellis is /ˈɛ.lɪs/, 2 syllables.
    What type of surname is Ellis?
    Ellis is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
    Is the surname Ellis getting more or less common?
    More common. 181,934 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 188,968 in 2010, up 3.9%.
    What are other spellings of Ellis?
    Ellice.
    Is Ellis also a first name?
    Yes. Ellis is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.