Origins of the Ellis surname

What does the name Ellis mean?

Ellis is an English and Welsh surname, having been seen in documents dating back as early as the 1200s. It was a popular personal name of the medieval period and the surname Ellis derives from those who were the son or descendant of a person named Ellis, Elwys or Elias. Another, rarer hypothesised origin is from the French 'fleur-de-lys', being given to those who used the heraldic symbol in their coats of arms.

Alternative variations of the name Ellis

Ellis, Ellys, Elis, Elliss, Elias

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Delve deeper into the Ellis family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 1060North West 1843Isle of Man 24Yorkshire 9644East Midlands 1531West Midlands 1755East 2645London 7955South East 3667South West 1910South Wales 468Mid Wales 381West Wales 4North Wales 1404Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Ellises lived in yorkshire

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

66,000 Ellis Travel & migration records
440,000 Ellises found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Ellis

How common is your surname?

67th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Ellis surname. The oldest one dates back to 1220.

Who were Ellises most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Ellises.

What are the most common Ellis first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Ellis family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Ellises

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Ellises in 1921

Dressmaker

1,987

Domestic Servant

1,082

Laundress

1,032

General Servant Domestic

1,021

House Servant

923

Common male occupations for Ellises in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

1,761

Coal Miner

1,705

General Labourer

1,523

Farmer

1,436

Farm Labourer

1,131

We found over 440,000 family trees with the Ellis surname

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