unisex name

Ellison

  • Origin English
  • Gender Unisex
  • Syllables 3
  • Letters 7
  • Popularity Uncommon
  • Births on record 9,233

Scotland

#768

2011 births

Ellison is a unisex name with 3 syllables. It is given to both girls and boys — about 63% of recorded births with this name are girls. In 2025 it was given to 326 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

  • Ellison is a name of English origin.
  • Peaked in 2021, when 424 babies were given the name.
  • It has been rising over the past decade.
  • Today about 1 in 10,170 babies in the United States is given this name.
  • Ellison started out as a boys' name and is now given almost entirely to girls.
  • First appears in US birth records in 1881.
  • 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.

Ellison 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.

3,412
'80 '00 '10 '20 '30 '40 '50 '60 '70 '80 '90 '00 '10 '20
Show the numbers
Births named Ellison by decade in the United States
Decade Births
1880s 19
1900s 39
1910s 172
1920s 216
1930s 160
1940s 187
1950s 154
1960s 144
1970s 155
1980s 219
1990s 375
2000s 1,337
2010s 3,412
2020s (to 2025) 2,069

How popular is Ellison?

In 2025, Ellison was given to 326 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

Where Ellison is used

Scotland #768 4 in 2011
United States #1,066 326 in 2025
England & Wales #2,397 10 in 2025
Canada #3,142 6 in 2024

The bar shows how near the top of each country's list the name sits, on a scale where #1 fills the row and #1,000 is a sliver. The figures beside it are the real rank and the babies recorded that year.

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 Ellison

These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.

Parents who like Ellison also like

Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ellison over the last century — the same taste, a different name.

Sibling names for Ellison

Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ellison — the two things that make a sibling set grate.

Common questions about Ellison

How popular is the name Ellison?

In 2025, Ellison was given to 326 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

Is Ellison a girl's or a boy's name?

Ellison is used for both girls and boys. About 63% of recorded births with this name are girls.

How many syllables are in Ellison?

Ellison has 3 syllables.

When was Ellison most popular?

Ellison peaked in 2021, when 424 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.

Is Ellison a good name?

That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ellison currently ranks #1,066 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.

Was Ellison originally a boys' or girls' name?

Ellison was given mostly to boys in the earliest US birth records and is now given almost entirely to girls.