Ellen

Bright, shining light

girlGreek

How does Ellen feel alongside your favorites? Talk through the sound, meaning and fit with your family.

Ellen meaning & origin

Ellen is listed in our catalog as a girl name. Its listed meaning is "Bright, shining light". Listed origin: Greek.

Pronunciation

EL-un

Catalog phonetic spelling

Popularity

In 2021, Ellen ranked #920 in US Social Security name records for female births. This is the latest verified year in our catalog, not a live ranking.

Nicknames

Ell

Ellen popularity by year

US Social Security birth-name ranks. A smaller rank means more recorded births in the reported sex category.
Birth yearRank
2020#809
2021#920

Source: Social Security Administration. US data is not a worldwide measure of usage. Missing years are not zero births.

Middle Name Ideas

  • Ellen Rose
  • Ellen Grace
  • Ellen Marie
  • Ellen Jane

Famous Namesakes

  • Ellen DeGeneres (comedian and TV host)
  • Ellen Ripley (Alien character)

Sources & notes

Meanings, origins, pronunciations, and namesakes are catalog entries that have not yet completed source-by-source editorial review. Nicknames and middle-name pairings are ideas to try, not usage statistics. We show birth-name ranks only when the record includes source-file provenance; missing data is not evidence of rarity.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Ellen

What does the name Ellen mean?

Ellen is listed in our catalog as a girl name. Its listed meaning is "Bright, shining light". Listed origin: Greek.

How do you pronounce Ellen?

Our catalog's pronunciation guide is EL-un. Pronunciation can vary by language and family.

How popular is the name Ellen?

In 2021, Ellen ranked #920 in US Social Security name records for female births. This is the latest verified year in our catalog, not a live ranking.

What nickname ideas could work for Ellen?

Ideas to try include Ell. These are suggestions, not a measure of usage.

What middle names could work with Ellen?

Try Ellen Rose, Ellen Grace, Ellen Marie, Ellen Jane aloud with your surname. These pairings are subjective suggestions.

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