girl's name
Ellen
EL-en
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 298,778
Northern Ireland
#153
2024 births
Ellen is a girl's name of Greek origin, a medieval English form of Helen whose meaning has never been settled. It ranks 153rd in Northern Ireland and 169th in Ireland, and it is stable.
- Ellen is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1951, when 5,956 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 14,415 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Ellen over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,414 |
| 1890s | 7,457 |
| 1900s | 8,344 |
| 1910s | 21,551 |
| 1920s | 28,491 |
| 1930s | 25,267 |
| 1940s | 45,550 |
| 1950s | 55,507 |
| 1960s | 34,240 |
| 1970s | 11,442 |
| 1980s | 10,280 |
| 1990s | 11,359 |
| 2000s | 5,545 |
| 2010s | 3,987 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,595 |
What Ellen means
Ellen inherits Helen's meaning, which is genuinely unresolved. Torch, from the Greek helene, is the traditional reading, and a link to selene, the moon, has been argued since antiquity — neither can be shown.
Where Ellen comes from
Ellen is the medieval English form of Helen, from the Greek Helene, and for several centuries it was the ordinary English version while Helen was the learned one. Helen of Troy carried the name into every European language; Saint Helena, mother of Constantine and the reputed finder of the True Cross, made it usable by Christians who might have balked at the woman the Iliad blames for a war. Ellen produced Nell by the medieval reanalysis of mine Ellen as my Nellen, which also gave Ned, Nan and Noll. Ellen Ternan was Dickens's mistress; Ellen Terry was the leading Shakespearean actress of the Victorian stage. The name is unrelated to Elaine, which comes from the same Greek by way of Old French and is a separate development.
Ellen in use
Ellen ranks 153rd in Northern Ireland with 13 births in 2024 and 169th in Ireland, and it is stable in our data with a peak in 1951. Our records carry it from 1880. It reaches 1,031st in England and Wales and 1,062nd in the United States — a name that was once enormous everywhere and now sits in a long, level decline rather than falling sharply.
How popular is Ellen?
In 2025, Ellen was given to 230 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Ellen is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Ellen
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ellen also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ellen over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Ellen
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Ellen in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Ellen
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ellen — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ellen
What does the name Ellen mean?
It inherits Helen's meaning, which is unresolved. Torch is the traditional reading.
Is Ellen the same as Helen?
Yes — Ellen was the ordinary English form for centuries while Helen was the learned one.
Is Nell short for Ellen?
Yes, by the medieval reanalysis of "mine Ellen" as "my Nellen" — the same habit that gave Ned and Nan.
How popular is Ellen?
153rd in Northern Ireland and 169th in Ireland.
Is Ellen a girl's or a boy's name?
Ellen is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Ellen?
Ellen has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Ellen?
Ellen is usually shortened to Nell.
Is Ellen a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ellen currently ranks #153 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.