Ellen
Girl nameEllen has been given to 276,029 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1951.
Meaning & origin /ˈɛl.ən/
Medieval English variant of Helen, from Ancient Greek Ἑλένη (Helénē); also used as a variant of Eleanor or a feminine counterpart to Elliot.
Origin: Ancient Greek
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
276,029
Peak year
1951 (5,956 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -43%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Famous people named Ellen
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
24th president of Liberia
Naomi Watts
English actress (born 1968)
Ellen DeGeneres
American comedian, television host, actress, and writer (born 1958)
Elliot Page
Canadian actor
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Ellen.
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