Ellison
Ellison is a surname and given name. It may derive from "Son of Elias" in Norwegian. Ellison can also be spelled Ellisson, Elison, Elisson, Ellyson, Ellysson, Elyson, and Elysson.
Meaning & Origin of Ellison
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ellison is a surname and given name. It may derive from "Son of Elias" in Norwegian. Ellison can also be spelled Ellisson, Elison, Elisson, Ellyson, Ellysson, Elyson, and Elysson.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Ellison
As a girl name
Ellison first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1914, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2021, when 329 Ellisons were born — ranking #836 that year. As of 2026, Ellison ranks #1,166 for girls with 205 births, falling sharply (-24%). In total, more than 6K Ellisons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Ellison first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1881, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2017, when 101 Ellisons were born — ranking #1,594 that year. As of 2026, Ellison ranks #2,064 for boys with 73 births, falling sharply (-15%). In total, more than 3K Ellisons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Ellison
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Ellison Barber (born 1989), American journalist
- Ellison Brown (1913–1975), U.S. Olympian
- Ellison Capers (1837–1908), Confederate general in the American Civil War
- Ellison Goodall (born 1954), American long-distance runner
- Ellison Scotland Gibb (1879–1970), Scottish suffragette and chess player
- Ellison Hatfield, the younger brother of Devil Anse Hatfield , murdered by three sons of Randolph McCoy during the Hatfield-McCoy feud
- Ellison Harvie (1902–1984), Australian architect and advocate
- Ellison "Cotton Top" Mounts, the illegitimate son of Ellison Hatfield, whose hanging is often seen as the end of the Hatfield-McCoy feud
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Ellison
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ellison is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ellison
What does the name Ellison mean?
How popular is Ellison in 2026?
When was Ellison most popular?
In which U.S. states is Ellison most popular?
Is Ellison a unisex name?
What names go well with Ellison?
About the name Ellison
Ellison is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 6K births in the dataset. Ellison's peak popularity came in 2021 when it ranked #836. Use the chart and map above to compare Ellison's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2021 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "E" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.