Ellis (English)
Where does "Ellis" come from?
The English surname Ellis originates from the Middle English personal name 'Elis', which derived from an Old French form of 'Elias'[1]. It also has roots as a Welsh surname and personal name, coming from an anglicization of 'Elisedd' and 'Elisse', which trace back to the archaic Welsh word 'elus' meaning 'benevolent, kind'[1].
Full etymology tree
- Ellis (English), 'An English surname originating as a patronymic from Elis, the Middle English form of Elijah.'
- derived Elis (Middle English)
- borrowed Elis (Old French)
- derived Elias (Old French)
- borrowed Elis (Old French)
- derived Elice (English)
- derived Elizabeth (English), 'A female given name from Hebrew, popular since the 16th century.'
- inherited Elizabeth (Middle English), 'Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist.'
- borrowed Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet) (Ancient Greek), 'Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist)'
- borrowed אלישבע (Elisheva) (Biblical Hebrew)
- borrowed Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet) (Ancient Greek), 'Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist)'
- inherited Elizabeth (Middle English), 'Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist.'
- derived Elizabeth (English), 'A female given name from Hebrew, popular since the 16th century.'
- clipping Elisse (Welsh)
- derived elus (Old Welsh)
- clipping Elisedd (Welsh)
- derived elus (Old Welsh)
- derived Elis (Middle English)
Descendants and derived words
- Ellisburg (English)
- Ellis County (English)
- Ellis Island (English)
- Elliston (English)
- Ellistown (English)
- Ellis-Van Creveld syndrome (English)
Related words
Sources
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris