Editor’s note: This post was originally published on May 25, 2008. It was revised and republished on November 26, 2012.
Ellie is a great name. She’s spunky and sweet, and surprisingly versatile. It is easy to imagine Ellie the bookworm, Ellie the chef, Ellie the scientist, Ellie the cheerleader, Ellie the artist.
But how about Ellie the district attorney, Ellie the heart surgeon, Ellie the Nobel Prize winner? It’s perfectly possible, of course. But it might be worth considering a formal option for your daughter’s birth certificate.
Possibilities abound. There are evergreen classics, exotic imports, tailored surnames, and daring new choices.
If you’re considering inking Ellie on your daughter’s birth certificate, read on.
Getting to Ellie from the Classics
Elizabeth, Elisabeth – Worn by queens and saints, it’s impossible to argue with the enduring appeal of this name. It is also possible to choose another nickname, ranging from the out of favor Liz to the retro Betsy. But Ellie is a valid option.
Eleanor, Elinor: An equally regal choice that’s slightly less common. Eleanor has climbed to #150 in 2011, up more than 100 spots in the last five years. Variant spelling Elinor does not rank in the Top 1000 in the US, but Jane Austen’s heroine in Sense and Sensibility was Elinor Dashwood. Eleonore is yet another variation.
Ella – She’s quite popular, and many an Ella likely becomes Ellie at least some of the time.
Alternative Routes to Ellie
Eliza – She started out as a pet form of Elizabeth, but a long history of use means that she stands on her own nicely. It’s a sophisticated choice with spirit, and brings to mind Audrey Hepburn playing the enchanting Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.
Elise – Another of Elizabeth’s offspring, Elise is a gentle name. She has a subtle French appeal. Plus “Für Elise” is Beethoven’s famous piece for piano; though the Elise for whom it was intended is lost to history. She’s always been a nice compromise choice, neither popular nor obscure. But lately, Elise is on the rise, reaching #162 last year.
Elaine – Usually considered an Old French variant of Helen, kept alive in the tales of King Arthur, Elaine was a fashion-forward choice from the 1920s through the 1950s in the US. Today, she’s more likely to be the grandmother than the granddaughter. With nickname options Ellie and Lainey, she could be quite current in 2013.
Elena: A lovely, pan-European spin on Elaine, also spelled Elaina, Alaina, and so on. With princesses, athletes and even an obscure Francesco Cavalli opera bearing the name, Elena is the most popular spelling. She’s a Top 20 choice in Italy and Spain, and she’s also popular in Austria.
Eliana, Elliana – She could be an elaborate smoosh of Ellie and Anna, an independent Hebrew name, or a feminine form of Roman family name Aelius. Regardless of her origin, she appeals to the same parents embracing Liliana and Arabella.
Ellen – She’s fallen out of favor since the nineteenth century. But if you’re after a no-nonsense name for a daughter, Ellen is a possibility less common than Claire or even Jane.
Getting to Ellie from Imports
Eloise – Derived from a Germanic name brought to England by the Normans, Eloise is gaining in use lately. With Kay Thompon’s enduring book as a built-in bedtime story, no wonder. Eloisa is a more elaborate form in use in Spanish and Italian.
Elodie – Like Eloise, she has just enough French flair to appeal to 21st century parents.
Elsa – She’s so close to Ella that maybe she’s not much of a formal name option. Still, she’s a pretty, underused grown-up name that can shorten to Ellie.
Elza – Either a Slavic form of Elsa or a Hebrew name meaning joyful. Elza’s sound intrigues, though she shares the same limitations as Elsa.
Elvira – A daring way to get to Ellie, Elvira brings to mind the Mistress of the Dark, the Oak Ridge Boys’ song, and the Danish circus performer murdered by her lover. The last and most tragic Elvira – Madigan – lives on in film. The Mozart piano concerto used in the movie is now often called the “Theme from Elvira Madigan.” It’s a darkly glamorous choice, the kind of name that begs for a simple nickname like Ellie.
Elspeth – A Scottish twist on Elizabeth.
Getting to Ellie from Surname Names
Ellison – With ties to literary and other notables, Ellison is a surname parents are likely to consider. It’s close to Allison – perhaps confusingly so – making her a likely prospect for a daughter.
Ellis – Slightly shorter than Ellison, but equally possible for a daughter in 2013.
Ellery – Long an under-used masculine moniker, Ellery could join Avery and Emery as a girls’ name.
Elliot, Elliott – Both spellings are popular for boys, and sometimes heard for girls, too. Possible feminine form Elliotte was chosen by actress Marla Sokoloff.
Ellington – Jazzy.
Campbell – If Cameron can be borrowed by the girls, why not Campbell?
The Ending Gets to Ellie
Isabella, Isabelle, Isobel– The most popular of the ends with -ella names, and a possible route to Ellie.
Gabriella, Gabrielle
Giselle
Emmanuelle
Arielle, Ariella
Mariel
Unconventional Routes to Ellie
Elsinore – A place name from Shakespeare, Elsinore is a literary twist to Elinor and company.
Elowen – A modern Cornish name meaning elm tree.
Elvia – One of the rarer names ever profiled here at AppMtn.
Endellion – Another Cornish appellation, this one with ties to a saint.
Eluned – An early Welsh saint.
Everild – Is this too much of a stretch? She’d probably lend herself more naturally to Evie.
Marcelline – Elle is buried in the middle of many a name – Penelope, Cornelia. In most cases, Ellie feels non-intuitive, but somehow I can hear Ellie coming from Marcelline.
Would you ever use the name Ellie? Would you consider a longer name? Which one? Are there any I’ve left off? And do you know any little Ellies?
You’re missing Estelle in the “Ending gets to Ellie” category.
What about Elle?
I just adopted a 3 yr old and her birth name is Melony. We didn’t want to change it on her at 2.5 yrs old bc she already new her first name. It’s not a name we care for too much. We want to start calling her Ellie for a nickname. Her name has the EL in it and it’s supposely a nickname for Melody and the names are so close. Could it go? So far we have Mel, Ellie, Elle, Mellie and that’s about it. Mel is def not a choice for us. Ellie is our first choice. Feed back plz and thank you!!!
I think Ellie could work, though Mellie is more intuitive. Does she recognize her written name? Just a thought, but would changing the spelling to Melanie make it more appealing? (Of course, I’m assuming that Melony is pronounced the same as Melanie.)
There is also Elodia
Love Elsinore! I might jot that down, hamlet is my favorite Shakespeare and I do not want to name my daughter Ophelia, as pretty as it is.
I love a lot of these and Ellie is cute. I’ve also seen just Elle used quite a few times and you could nickname Elle Ellie.
Twelve years ago I was adopting a new puppy, a half German Shepherd, half black lab and I couldn’t think of a good name for her until my sister recommended the sweet little “Ellie”. I loved it right away. She was our Ellie Belly. Sadly, she died this fall of old age, but I can’t hear the name Ellie without thinking of my baby girl. Coincidentally, one of my bank customers comes through the drive thru with her Black Lab puppy, also named Ellie. I guess it’s a dog thing! However, I would totally use Ellie for a daughter, short for either Elodie or Electra. It’s short and cute and very lovable!!
My cousin has a little Eleanor called Ellie, named for his wife’s grandmother.
I admire Elspeth and Elowen. I have a huge weakness for -th and -wen as suffixes, they have a tailored feel. Too bad I am the least Scottish/Welsh thing imaginable, huh? Maybe a touch on ye olde husbande’s side but even so.
I do like Eliana, but I love the (left off probably for being too close to Elinor-family but I think of it as seperate) Hebrew Eliora more.
It’s the The Ending Gets to Ellie category I really adore. And I could have one AND an Elizabeth, right? I love almost all of these. Mirabel would beat Mariel is all.
Elizabeth is a funny case – I realized I like Ellie but when given the choice between it and Libby/Betty/Lilibet/Lilibeth it doesn’t even get a look in. Strangely, I like Ellie well enough as a nickname for many of these other names, but it just feels like a waste of Elizabeth.
While I adore Elspeth, I wouldn’t use Ellie, rather Elsie is what appeals to me. Josie has a little girlfriend, she’s almost 4 and her full name is Elizabeth but she goes by Ellie far more often (She’s big sister to Sophia Cecylia aka Fia)!
I like Ellie but I like Elsie & Elsa far more.
Oh I just love the name Elise! It’s beautiful. If I had a daughter, that’s what I would name her. Pretty, simple, classy, unique. It’s lovely.
Tanya, you’re absolutely right! There’s a host of -el/-elle ending names to consider if you love the nickname Ellie. And Ellie Kate is a charming pet form of the graceful Isabel Kathryn.
BTW, I’m partial to the -el ending you’ve used. With the exception of Giselle and Gabrielle, most of those names always look more sophisticated to my eye when they omit the extra “le” from the ending. And it certainly doesn’t prevent parents from using the lovely nickname Ellie.
My fave -el ending name is Mariel. Unfortunately, my husband’s last name also ends with an -el, so we’ll never use it. Maybe for one of my goldfish …
My daughter’s nickname is Ellie, but her given name is none of the ones you’ve listed! 🙂 Her name is Isabel Kathryn. She goes by Isabel most places (school, church, etc.), but at home and within our family, she is Ellie or Ellie Kate.
When she was an infant she was all belly. She had skinny arms and legs and a big belly. My husband started calling her “Isabelly” which was soon shortened to “Belly.” After being called Needle Butt for most of my life, I refused to have my firstborn nicknamed after a body part. 🙂 We shortened it again to Ellie, and I love it.
The nickname could be used for any name ending in -el or -elle … Isabel, Anabelle, Giselle … Just like Etta is a great nickname for anything ending in -ette … Cosette, Annette, etc.
Thanks for the plug, by the way. I have much more to write to you, and not enough time to think on it yet!
I do think that Ellis wears well on a son – just like Hollis and Miles and Giles and lots of ends-in-s names.
And while I’d never given much thought to Eloise until today, I think it is quickly climbing up the ranks of my favorite names.
Oh i love most of those names!!
Whilst i am not partial to “Ellie” as a nickname i love most of these names independently.
My faves are: Eliza, Eloise, Elodie and Elsa.
I also love Ellis – but for a boy.
Elsa from Elspeth! That’s a lovely idea.
And I know what you mean about the question of matching. If none of your ancestors are Dutch, is it silly to call your daughter Saskia?
And what if it does reflect your heritage, but not the name you wear today? I know a woman of Irish descent who chose lovely Gaelic names for her children, which makes all the sense in the world – save that her husband’s surname is quite German.
It’s one of those case-by-case situations. But as far as Elodie goes, I’m with you – it’s so fantastically French that it almost requires a touch of Gallic history to justify the choice.
I hear what your saying about Ellie feeling too nicknamey and like the idea of giving a child a longer name and then reverting to a nickname, be it Ellie or whatever…
I think I might like Ellie, Eleanor and Ella if they weren’t so insanely popular in the UK. Of your alternative suggestions, I rather like Elodie but it is just too French – not that being French in itself is bad, on the contrary, it’s just that I am not French and would feel like an imposter giving a quintessentially French name to my child. Does that make sense?
I also love Elspeth and have done for years. It is an incredibly strong Scottish alternative to Elizabeth but somehow sticks on my throat a bit when I say it – I adore Elsa though! Elsaas a ncikname for Espeth – gorgeous!
My name is Ellie and its not short for anything xx