Holding steady.
Popularity of Ell since 1882
Babies named Ell per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1920, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Ell's real moment was 1882.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0 | 5 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 |
| 1900s | 0 | 0 |
| 1910s | 5 | 45 |
| 1920s | 5 | 56 |
| 1930s | 0 | 16 |
| 1940s | 0 | 22 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Ell is a minimalist name with a long but faint trace in American records. It first appeared in 1882, the earliest year of Social Security data, and its trajectory has remained stable over more than a century, never rising into widespread use. The name has never ranked in the top 1,000, reflecting its status as an extremely uncommon choice. The peak usage year remains 1882, and the name has not experienced a modern revival. Without any predominant state association, Ell stands as a name of quiet, simple origin, likely derived as a diminutive of more familiar El- names.
Ell is a rare and simple name, likely originating as a nickname or shortened form of longer names such as Ellen, Eleanor, or Elliott. It has also been used as a given name in its own right, though its usage has always been extremely sparse. The name appeared in the United States Social Security data from the 1880s onward, but never gained widespread popularity.
Sibling names for Ell
Names that share Ell's style, for a brother or sister.
