Ellis

Today's name: Ellis (male)

Pronunciation: EL-iss

Potential nicknames: El, Eli

Origin: (1) Anglicized variant of Elias, from Elijah, meaning "the Lord is my God," often transfered from surname use. Eli and Elliot are related. (2) A Welsh Anglicized variant of Elisud, from the word elus, meaning "kind, benevolent."

Popularity: In 2010 Ellis ranked #732, a very slow rise from 2000. (Elias, on the other hand, ranked at # 141, and Elijah at # 18.) It is seldom seen as a girl's name. In 2010 there were 311 baby boys named Ellis, 7 named Elis, 13,735 named Elijah, and 2,799 named Elias. In 2011 it went up to #724 with 311 births again.

Fun fact: (1) Ellis Bell was the psuedonym Emily Bronte chose when she first began publishing her work, making it seem as if she were male. (2) Ellis Island, the gateway for immigrants, named after the last private owner of the island named Samuel Ellis.

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