e61 by Too Far North via Flickr
Take the -ia from Olivia and Sophia, borrow the El- from Ella and Elizabeth, and you’ll arrive at a terribly pretty possibility for a daughter, one that just might have ancient roots.
Thanks to Cindy for suggesting her daughter’s name, Ellia as our Baby Name of the Day.
Ellia has multiple possible origins, from the simple assemblage of popular sounds to ties to a traditional Old Testament name.
- Ellia may simply have emerged as a variant, and perhaps even a feminine form, of Elijah and Elias. Elijah was slimmed down to Elia in Italian and several other European tongues – think of legendary director Elia Kazan. Census records suggest that plenty of men answered to Ellia, too, at least in the US, and almost certainly as a twist on the Biblical name.
- In more modern moments, I’ve heard Ellia connected to the French elle – she. But since Elle is also a given name with ties to the popular Ella family, this one is probably on the fanciful side.
But here’s the most intriguing of them all. The Roman gens Aelia was prominent for centuries in the ancient world. The Emperor Hadrian was among their members, as were many distinguished figures well into the fourth century. Aelia Paetina was the second wife of Emperor Claudius, so we know that Aelia was the preferred feminine form for family members.
The origins of Aelia and company are debated, but one suggestion is that it connects to the Greek helios – sun.
Plenty of names have come down to us from ancient days, and while Aelia is poorly represented on the map today, it was once common, bestowed by Hadrian and others to places where they constructed bridges or settlements. Aelia Capitolina once stood on the site of modern-day Jerusalem. Aelia survived in the Byzantine Empire even longer, worn by a few more empresses.
Could the personal name have trickled down over the years? Cindy found it on her husband’s Italian family tree, traced back over several centuries. This tracks with the census records – while some nineteenth century American Ellias were men, an equal number were women – suggesting that two separate origins for the name might be perfectly plausible.
With the exception of Cindy’s report, I can’t confirm another medieval Ellia. Still, Italian was such a fragmented language, and written records were so slim that it means little. It also strikes me that Ellia might have been recorded differently in Latin – could she be hiding as Elisabetta?
Two pop culture references might put Ellia on a 21st century parents’ radar:
- Actress Ellia English has had a long career, from the television adaptation of Fame in the 1980s to the present-day Disney Channel series Good Luck, Charlie.
- There was also a minor – but important – character on sci-fi series Stargate Atlantis. Jewel Staite of Firefly fame, played Ellia.
But is Ellia the kind of name that a modern parent would consider? Look no further than Project Nursery.
Ellia has all the markings of a stylish moniker. Her sound fits right in with Amelia, Stella and Eleanor – strong, smart, creative names for a daughter that wear well throughout life. And while she might strike some as invented, her roots run deep. If you’re looking for something just a little bit different, Ellia is one to consider.
Clare says
August 9, 2016 at 5:57 AMEllia Green just won a gold medal for Australia in Rugby 7s at Rio
Paul says
March 11, 2015 at 8:00 PMMy niece just had a call and named her Ellia, but to me it looks like it would be pronounced ell-eye-uh, and if Elia then Ell-ee-uh. I guess when I see her I’ll find out
Paul says
March 12, 2015 at 7:23 AMOops sorry I meant girl not call
Cindy D says
September 5, 2014 at 12:14 AMWe named our daughter Ellia Kate. She was born in ’09. We picked the name in ’07 when we were expecting our first child, but we had a boy. Her name is prn “ell-eee-yuh.” Doesn’t sound masculine at all. We picked the name after seeing a gal on Too Chef named Elia (pronounced the same as our daughter). We love it.
Ellia says
October 14, 2013 at 3:53 PMHi. My name is Ellia. Named after my mother Ellie and
Father Ian. My middle name is anya~rose.
I love my name and everyone says how pretty it is
Plus not many people pronounce it wrong.
I have met two other Ellia’s although one spells her name
Elliah and one is Ellia rose and the other is Elliah Beth
and she was named that after her grand mother Elizabeth but wanted a
Modern spin on it. My mother’s friend is expecting
Her 2nd daughter and will be calling her Ellia grace.
So many people say it’s a name between Ellie and
Ella but prettier and more unique. I’m in my 20’s
Those other girls are a lot younger so it must be getting
A bit more popular now!
appellationmountain says
October 14, 2013 at 8:13 PMWhat a lovely story, Ellia – thanks for sharing!
Mina says
July 19, 2013 at 11:53 PMWe’ve just named our baby girl Ellia after her late grandfather Elias. We are absolutely in love with the name. Obviously for sentimental reasons but also because it’s a bright, happy sounding name. Short, succinct and pretty. We purposefully chose a double LL for the spelling so that it would look more feminine and also so that it would be pronounced ELL-ee-ah and not ILL-ee-ah as it would be with a single L.
appellationmountain says
July 20, 2013 at 3:42 AMCongratulations, Mina! What a lovely, lovey name – and what a sweet tribute to your daughter’s grandfather.
Dellitt says
February 6, 2012 at 2:22 AMI like Ellia (saying ‘ell ee uh’, not that I don’t like the other prn., just this is the most natural one to me for this sp.). However, I still like just Ella more, despite its popularity. I did find all the possible origins interesting to read about. Aelia is fascinating, I’m liking both prn., though I had thought ‘ay lee uh’! But that was just a guess. And Alaia? Fabulous! I have to write it down.
Cindy says
February 5, 2012 at 10:41 PMThank you so much for featuring my daughter’s name! We’ve only gotten positive feedback on Ellia’s name, and we’ve been happily surprised with how rarely it gets mispronounced (this was our main concern with it). Her full name is Ellia Jane, Jane honoring an aunt and grandmother Jean. I’ve done lots of research and haven’t been able to find much information on the name, so I was excited to read all of the history you were able to find. Thanks again!
Cindy says
February 5, 2012 at 10:42 PMOh, and we pronounce it ELL-ee-uh. We often call her Elle and Ellie. 🙂
ellia says
February 4, 2016 at 11:05 AMam glade to know that your baby has got the same name with meeee….
Serenity says
February 5, 2012 at 2:08 AMMy daughters nickname so obviously we love it, her daddy came up with it which makes it all the more special
Maevy says
February 2, 2012 at 7:45 PMI can’t help but think “Alien”.
Jess says
February 2, 2012 at 5:04 PMI know someone who just named a baby girl this. It is a nice name, but is often confused for “Elliot” during conversation.
appellationmountain says
February 2, 2012 at 8:34 PMInteresting – I can see that happening.
Sarah A says
February 2, 2012 at 4:19 PMI really like Elia and Elias for boys, so Ellia isn’t really my cup of tea. I feel like it should be ELL-ee-uh, but my brain also wants to say ah-LYE-ah, and then I just think of that scene in Clueless where she tells the robber she can’t ruin her dress “because this is an ‘Alaia’!”
appellationmountain says
February 2, 2012 at 8:35 PMThat’s right! Azzedine Alaia – great name. I was surprised when I realized Azzedine was a man’s name.
Sarah A says
February 2, 2012 at 10:19 PMIt’s fascinating how the gender markers in names vary across languages. Between Darleen, Geraldine, and Adaleen, that -ine/een ending is very feminine in the West. But since -dine/-deen literally means ‘religion’ or ‘faith’ it’s not an uncommon suffix in male names. I actually know half Anglo, half Malaysian brothers in the DC area – Noorudeen, Sayfudeen, and Izzadeen. It’s a bit matchy-matchy for my taste 😉
Sebastiane says
February 2, 2012 at 3:57 PMI instinctively say EL-lee-ah. Interesting choice.
Julie says
February 2, 2012 at 3:40 PMEllia is pretty, but it seems like just an elaborate form of Ella. Honestly that would be fine, but In my state Ella has been a top #10 name for a decade now and I’ve reached my saturation point.
Diana says
February 2, 2012 at 3:34 PMI prefer Aelia (pronounced EYE-lee-ah) or Eleanor. But Eleanor is my fave name ever ever ever, so…
Sally says
February 2, 2012 at 11:55 AMIt really is a pretty name, both soft and strong. I would pronounce it ELL-ee-ah as well, as if you were preparing to say Elliot.
Joanna says
February 2, 2012 at 10:00 AMWritten out it looks feminine and on trend, but when spoken, Ellia sounds masculine to me – a variation of Elijah’s cousin, Eliot/Elliot.
Christina Fonseca says
February 2, 2012 at 9:18 AMA few years ago there was a female Elia on Top Chef pronounced ELL-ee-ah. That would be my default pronunciation for Ellia until the parent told me otherwise.
I like it despite the pronunciation issues that would arise.
And that nursery – I bet a lot of people are adding that to their Pinterest!
Sarah says
February 2, 2012 at 8:13 AMI really like Aelia. It looks really pretty. Kind of like a smooshing of Amelia.
Ellia does remind me of Elias or a mistaken spelling of Ella. It is pretty, and sounds gorgeous, but with it’s masculine history it’s not for me.
Photoquilty says
February 2, 2012 at 5:17 AMCan you clear up the pronunciation? Is it ee-LY-ah or ELL-ee-ah? I want to say the second, but am not sure.
appellationmountain says
February 2, 2012 at 6:57 AMI wish I could, but I think this is one that has an almost infinite number of possibilities. Beyond the two you’ve mentioned, I also found ell EE yah. I’m saying ELL ee ah. A few of the pronunciations remind me of Aaliyah …
appellationmountain says
February 2, 2012 at 6:58 AMOh, and I’m not sure how Aelia was pronounced. Anyone? I think the emphasis would have been on the final syllable, but I can’t confirm that.
Sarah says
February 2, 2012 at 8:14 AMI would predict that Aelia would be Ay-lee-uh.
Nook of Names says
February 2, 2012 at 9:58 AMAelia: a Roman would have said “EYE-lee-a”; modern Latin pronunciation is “EE-lee-a”
British American says
February 2, 2012 at 10:21 AMI couldn’t figure out the pronunciation either. I was torn between ELL-ee-ah and el-LEE-ah.
Catherine says
February 2, 2012 at 2:20 AMI wouldn’t use it on its own, but it would make a lovely short form of Camellia.