NameCensus.

UK name, mostly boys

Ellery

Derived from an Old English surname meaning "alder tree village".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Also recorded as a girls' name in the UK, with 86 girls.

Ellery is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Ellery popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2443, with 9 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2014, with 9 births.

This profile covers 104 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 1997 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 103 living people in the UK are called Ellery. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Ellery ranked #2443 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 9 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2014, when 9 boys were registered as Ellery.
  • Ellery is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
  • About 103 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ellery as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 54.7% of Ellery registrations are for boys.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2443

2024

Births in 2024

9

Latest year

Peak year

2014

9 births

Estimated living

103

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Ellery

In England and Wales birth records, Ellery has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 54.7% of registrations are for boys and 45.3% are for girls.

These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.

55% boys
45% girls
Boys104 (54.7%)Girls86 (45.3%)

Ellery registered for boys

  • Ranked #2,443 in 2024
  • 9 boys registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2014 (9 births)

Ellery registered for girls

  • Ranked #1,541 in 2024
  • 20 girls registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2024 (20 births)

Meaning

What does Ellery mean?

The name Ellery has its origins in the Old English language, stemming from the word "aelfric," which means "elf ruler" or "elf power." This name gained prominence during the Anglo-Saxon period, particularly between the 5th and 11th centuries AD, when it was commonly used among the English nobility and aristocracy.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ellery can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions an individual named "Aelfric" as a landowner in the county of Norfolk.

In the 12th century, the name underwent a slight variation and was spelled as "Elfric" or "Elfricus." This form of the name appears in various medieval manuscripts and chronicles, including the writings of the renowned English historian William of Malmesbury.

The name Ellery gained further recognition in the 16th century, when it was used by notable figures such as Ellery Walker (1509-1592), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious treatises.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ellery. One of the most prominent was Ellery Channing (1780-1842), an American writer, poet, and philosopher who played a significant role in the Transcendentalist movement. He was known for his influential works, including "Self-Culture" and "The Poet's Calling."

Another notable figure was Ellery Queen (1905-1982), the pen name of American writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, who were renowned for their popular mystery novels featuring the fictional detective Ellery Queen.

In the field of sports, Ellery Clark (1923-2000) was an American basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics in the 1940s and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976.

Ellery Hanley (born 1961) is a former English rugby league footballer and coach who played for several clubs, including Hull FC and Wigan Warriors, and was inducted into the Rugby Football League Hall of Fame in 2005.

The name Ellery has also been used by prominent artists, such as Ellery Walker (1942-2011), an American painter and printmaker known for her vibrant and expressive abstract works.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Ellery over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Ellery in England and Wales, from 1997 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Ellery, the clearest high point is 2014. The latest England and Wales figure is 9 births in 2024, compared with 9 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
07152229199720102024

Decades

Ellery by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ellery was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #3122 31 5
2010s #3589 51 10
2000s #3501 11 3
1990s #2554 11 3

Related

Names similar to Ellery

FAQ

Ellery: questions and answers

How popular is the name Ellery in the UK right now?

In 2024, Ellery was ranked #2443 for boys in England and Wales, with 9 births registered.

When was Ellery most popular?

The peak year on record was 2014, with 9 babies registered as Ellery in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Ellery?

Derived from an Old English surname meaning "alder tree village".

How many people are called Ellery in the UK?

A total of 104 babies have been registered as Ellery across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.