Ellen

Did you know?

A few things about Ellen you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Ellen

Ellen DeGeneres

American comedian, television host, actress, and writer (born 1958)

Choose Ellen and your child shares a first name with Ellen DeGeneres, an American comedian, television host, actress, and writer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Ellen, like who?” Ellen DeGeneres's Wikipedia article is available in 93 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Ellen DeGeneres on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Toglenn, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 6,988 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Ellen, 230 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Ellen would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryEllen has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Ellens, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1946, when it ranked #58. Today it's #1,062, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowEllen was 2.4× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,874 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 6,988.
• 🍂TrendEllen has slipped 254 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,062. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedEllen is most popular in Kansas, where it ranks #497, followed by Indiana (#651) and Washington (#679). It's in the top 1,000 in 11 states.

About the name Ellen

Ellen is a girl name of English and Greek origin. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with E and ending in “-len”. US birth records list Ellen for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1946, when it ranked #58 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,062, with 230 babies.

Origin:English namesGreek names