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.
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
20% of everyone ever named Ellen was born in this single decade.
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 1,000Peak year
Current rank
Active since
Ellen popularity over time — girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880
- Peak year (1951)
- 5,945
- Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
Currently ranks #1026 among girls.
275,048 total births across 145 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1951 with 5,945 births in a single year.
Ellen popularity over time — boys
745 total births recorded since 1884 (Ellen as boys' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The boys' variant of Ellen accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
Ellen by decade
Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance
- Peak decade
- 1950s
- 55,390 births that decade — 20% of Ellen's all-time total
Ellen decade highlights
- Peak decade 55,390 births
- Runner-up 45,405 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
1950s was Ellen's strongest decade
55,390 babies received the name during that ten-year window — about 20% of all-time use.
Ellen by state
Where Ellen concentrates geographically — total births since 1880
| 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% |
36,331 of 275,048 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- New York 13.2% of nationwide
- Pennsylvania 6.4% of nationwide
- Illinois 5.1% of nationwide
- Massachusetts 4.8% of nationwide
- California 4.8% of nationwide
Recorded in 51 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
New York accounts for 13.2% of all recorded births nationwide — a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Ellen appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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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.