Ellie
Girl name · French · German · Greek
Meaningpossibly light · English form of Eleanor
- US rank
- #24
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #21 in 2024
6,176 babies were named Ellie in the US in 2025. It has climbed 5 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Ellie you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Ellie
Ellie Kemper
American actress
Choose Ellie and your child shares a first name with Ellie Kemper, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Ellie, like who?” Ellie Kemper's Wikipedia article is available in 38 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Ellie Kemper on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/greg2600, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 260 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Ellie, 6,176 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Ellie.
- HistoryEllie has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Ellies, and counting.
- Best yearIts best year was 2024, when it reached #21.
- Then vs nowEllie is 8.4× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,191 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 260.
- Where it's lovedEllie is most popular in North Dakota, where it ranks #4, followed by Louisiana (#7) and South Dakota (#7). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
- MeaningEllie is an English form of Eleanor, which means “possibly light”. Our records link it to French, German and Greek roots.
- OriginEllie is the #5 most popular French girl name in the US. That's out of 3,334 French girl and unisex names in our list.
About the name Ellie
Ellie is a girl name of French, German and Greek origin meaning “possibly light”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with E and ending in “-lie”. US birth records list Ellie for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked #21 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #24, with 6,176 babies.
Origin:French namesGerman namesGreek names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 236 | 4,229 girls |
| 1890s | 204 | 4,896 girls |
| 1900s | 185 | 5,404 girls |
| 1910s | 101 | 9,915 girls |
| 1920s | 64 | 15,637 girls |
| 1930s | 41 | 24,160 girls |
| 1940s | 28 | 36,049 girls |
| 1950s | 28 | 35,587 girls |
| 1960s | 31 | 32,000 girls |
| 1970s | 37 | 26,991 girls |
| 1980s | 44 | 22,507 girls |
| 1990s | 200 | 5,010 girls |
| 2000s | 919 | 1,089 girls |
| 2010s | 2,477 | 404 girls |
| 2020s | 3,673 | 272 girls |
Other spellings of Ellie
More French girl names
- Girl name: Charlotte · free
- Girl name: Evelyn · possibly desired
- Girl name: Violet · violet flower
- Girl name: Camila · temple attendant
- Girl name: Lainey · possibly light
- Unisex name: Avery · elf counsel
- Girl name: Eloise · possibly healthy, wide
- Girl name: Stella · star
Questions about the name Ellie
What does the name Ellie mean?
Ellie means “possibly light” in English, as a form of Eleanor.
What is the origin of the name Ellie?
Ellie has French, German, Greek roots in our records. Other French names include Charlotte, Evelyn, Violet.
Is Ellie a boy or girl name?
Ellie is a girl name.
How popular is the name Ellie?
Ellie ranked #24 for US girls in 2025, given to 6,176 babies. Its best year was 2024 (#21).