US rank #1026 Girls' name Peak 1951 275,048 births

Ellen — #1026 US girls' name

275,048 babies named Ellen in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1951. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s54021890s74351900s83391910s215001920s283911930s251391940s454051950s553901960s341461970s114221980s102401990s113462000s55432010s39872020s1363
#1026
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 94% of names given to girls today.

1950s
Peak decade

20% of everyone ever named Ellen was born in this single decade.

1951
Single peak year

5,945 babies were named Ellen in 1951 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Ellen

The Social Security Administration has registered 275,048 babies named Ellen between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Ellen currently holds the #1026 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1951, when 5,945 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Ellen performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 55,390 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Ellen shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 36,331 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Ellen in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Ellen in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 275,048 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Ellen at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

275,048

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1951

5,945 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#1,026

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Ellen popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1951)
5,945
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,0008,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 411

Ellen popularity over time — boys

745 total births recorded since 1884 (Ellen as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 745 births
0510152025 199319741959194919391929191918941884 5

Ellen by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
55,390 births that decade — 20% of Ellen's all-time total
1880s54021890s74351900s83391910s215001920s283911930s251391940s454051950s553901960s341461970s114221980s102401990s113462000s55432010s39872020s1363

Ellen by state

Where Ellen concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Ellen
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
36,331 13.2%
#2 Pennsylvania
17,653 6.4%
#3 Illinois
13,929 5.1%
#4 Massachusetts
13,279 4.8%
#5 California
13,094 4.8%
#6 Ohio
12,328 4.5%
#7 New Jersey
10,391 3.8%
#8 Michigan
9,957 3.6%
New York share of Ellen's total US births 13.2%
Even split

36,331 of 275,048 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Ellen appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Ellen?
275,048 babies have been named Ellen since 1880. It currently ranks #1026 among girls. The peak year was 1951 with 5,945 births.
When was Ellen most popular?
Ellen was most popular in the 1950s decade with 55,390 total births. The single peak year was 1951.
Where is Ellen most popular?
The top states for the name Ellen are New York (36,331 births), Pennsylvania (17,653 births), Illinois (13,929 births).
How long has the name Ellen been used?
Ellen has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Ellen?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ella, Ellie, Elliana, Elle, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Ellen

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.