Ellen
English · Girl · 2 syllables
Popularity & facts
Relative popularity index, 2010–2025Popularity over time
Popularity indexHistorical popularity from 1880–2025 · US Social Security Administration data
About the name Ellen
Ellen means "bright" or "shining" and derives from the Greek name Helene, which comes from the root "hele" meaning "torch" or "bright."
The name is used across Christian-majority Western cultures and gained prominence through Saint Helen (mother of Constantine), though it became especially popular in English-speaking countries during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Cross-referenced with Wikidata/Wikipedia. AI-assisted, community-reviewable. Suggest an improvement.
Etymology
Ellen means "bright" or "shining" and derives from the Greek name Helene, which comes from the root "hele" meaning "torch" or "bright."
The name is used across Christian-majority Western cultures and gained prominence through Saint Helen (mother of Constantine), though it became especially popular in English-speaking countries during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Ellen currently ranks #1,062 in the United States as a girl's name. It reached its peak popularity around 1951.
Variants & nicknames
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Sibling name ideas
English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, Dutch names that sit beautifully beside EllenSimilar names you might like
Names starting with EMore names starting with E
- Eabha
- Eden
- Eevi
- Eduarda
- Ebba
- Edson
- Eduardo
- Edith
- Edvin
- Edoardo
- Edward
- Eero
- Ebbe
- Eduard
- Eelis
- Edwin
- Eeva
- Edda
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Names that sound like Ellen
Phonetic match, not just spelling"Eliana means "God has answered" and derives from the Hebrew name Eliyahu (Elijah), combining the elements "El" (God) and "ana"…"
"Elena means "bright" or "shining" and derives from the Greek name Helene, which comes from the root "helios" meaning sun."
"Eliane is a French feminine name derived from the Greek name Helios (Ἥλιος), meaning "sun," combined with the French feminine…"
"Elaine means "bright" or "shining" and derives from the Greek name Helene, which comes from the Greek word "helios" meaning…"
"Elin is a Welsh feminine name meaning "bright" or "shining," derived from the Welsh element "elin" or related to the…"
"Elina is a diminutive form of Helena, derived from the Greek word "helene" (ἑλένη), meaning "torch" or "bright/shining one." The…"
"The name 'Elion' is a variant of 'Elyon', meaning "Most High" in Hebrew, derived from the Semitic root *‘ly* (to…"
"Eline is a diminutive form of Helen, derived from the Greek name Helene, which comes from the root "hēlē" meaning…"
"Elen means "bright" or "shining" and derives from the Greek name Helene (Ἑλένη), which likely comes from the Greek word…"
"Elian is derived from the Greek name Helios, meaning "sun," or alternatively from the Latin name Aelianus, which relates to…"
"Ewelina is the Polish form of Evelyn, derived from the Latin name Aveline, which likely stems from the Germanic element…"
"Eleni is the Greek form of Helen, possibly derived from the Greek "helene", meaning "torch", "moon", or associated with "selene"…"