Ellsie
A feminine variant of the name Elizabeth, meaning "pledged to God".
Name Census estimates that about 253 living Americans carry the first name Ellsie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ellsie today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ellsie births was 2013 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ellsie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ellsie with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
253
~ 1 in 1,354,760 Americans
Peak year
2013
21 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,076
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Ellsie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ellsie from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 143 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ellsie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ellsie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ellsie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ellsie
The name Ellsie is a diminutive form of the name Ellen, which is derived from the Greek name Helen. The name Helen is believed to have originated from the Greek word "helene," meaning "bright" or "shining one." The name Ellsie gained popularity as a distinct name in its own right during the 19th century, particularly in English-speaking countries.
The earliest recorded use of the name Ellsie can be traced back to the late 18th century, but its widespread adoption didn't occur until the Victorian era. During this time, many diminutive forms of traditional names became fashionable, reflecting a cultural trend towards affectionate and playful nicknames.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Ellsie was Ellsie Venner, a fictional character from Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.'s novel "Elsie Venner" published in 1861. The novel explored themes of heredity and the influence of environment, with Ellsie Venner serving as a central character.
Another historical figure with the name Ellsie was Ellsie Janis (1889-1956), an American singer, actress, and songwriter. She gained fame during the early 20th century for her performances in Broadway musicals and her patriotic songs during World War I.
In the field of literature, Ellsie Symes (1881-1972) was a British novelist and short story writer known for her works depicting life in rural England. Her novel "The Crownhill Woods" (1917) received critical acclaim.
Ellsie Caulter (1860-1928) was a Scottish painter and printmaker, recognized for her etchings and engravings depicting rural landscapes and scenes from everyday life.
Ellsie Wolfe (1909-1999) was an American actress and vaudeville performer who had a successful career on stage and in radio during the 1930s and 1940s.
While the name Ellsie may have waned in popularity in recent decades, it remains a charming and historically significant name with roots in Greek mythology and a rich cultural heritage spanning centuries.
People
Ellsie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ellsie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ellsie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ellsie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 253 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ellsie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,354,760 US residents.
Is Ellsie a common name?
We classify Ellsie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 255 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ellsie most popular?
The single biggest year for Ellsie was 2013, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ellsie is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ellsie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ellsie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ellsie in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ellsie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ellsie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ellsie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Ellsie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.