Clan Rising

Ellis

Son of Elijah — the prophet's name in Tudor English compression.

Territory of Ellis

CoreHistoric reach

The seat of Ellis

Seat vacant

Chief

No chief yet. The seat awaits its first claimant — be the first to stake your name to Ellis.

Current mission

No mission proclaimed. The chief, once seated, sets the clan’s public focus — a campaign, a contest, a piece of restoration, a year of remembrance.

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What does the Ellis name mean?

From the personal name Elias (the prophet Elijah, in mediaeval Latin Elias), which produced the Welsh form Elis and the English form Ellis. As a surname Ellis is overwhelmingly English in the modern census, though the Welsh patronymic ap Elis is a parallel source — the Welsh and English Ellis pools have converged over time. The patronymic Ellison ('son of Elias') is a derivative formation of the same root.

The history of Ellis

Ellis is densest in the north-west of England — Lancashire, Cheshire, the West Riding — and across Wales, where the patronymic ap Elis was current at the Tudor surname-fixation period. The biblical-prophet etymology made it a common Puritan surname in the 17th century, carrying it heavily into the New England diaspora. Ellis Island, the immigration-processing centre at New York Harbor (1892–1954), takes its name from Samuel Ellis, the late-18th-century Manhattan tavern-keeper who owned the island.

Henry Havelock Ellis (1859–1939), the Croydon-born physician and social reformer, wrote the Studies in the Psychology of Sex (1897–1928) and was among the foundational figures of modern sexology. Ruth Ellis (1926–1955) was the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom, by hanging at Holloway Prison for the murder of her lover David Blakely. Bret Easton Ellis (b. 1964), the Los Angeles-born novelist of Less Than Zero and American Psycho, brings the surname into contemporary American fiction.

Notable bearers of the Ellis name

  • Henry Havelock Ellis (1859–1939) — physician, sexologist
  • Ruth Ellis (1926–1955) — last woman executed in the United Kingdom
  • Bret Easton Ellis (b. 1964) — novelist (American Psycho)

Frequently asked

What does the surname Ellis mean?

From the personal name Elias (the prophet Elijah, in mediaeval Latin Elias), which produced the Welsh form Elis and the English form Ellis. As a surname Ellis is overwhelmingly English in the modern census, though the Welsh patronymic ap Elis is a parallel source — the Welsh and English Ellis pools have converged over time. The patronymic Ellison ('son of Elias') is a derivative formation of the same root.

Where does the Ellis family come from?

The Ellis family was historically based in North West and Yorkshire & the Humber in England, in particular Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

Who are some famous Ellises?

Notable bearers of the Ellis name include Henry Havelock Ellis (1859–1939) — physician, sexologist, Ruth Ellis (1926–1955) — last woman executed in the United Kingdom and Bret Easton Ellis (b. 1964) — novelist (American Psycho).

Neighbouring clans