Ellis

Ellis is a name used as both a surname and a given name, and it also appears as a geographic toponym. The surname Ellis is of English and Welsh origin and is derived from a form of the given name Elis, a variant of Elias or Elijah. As a given name, Ellis is used in English-speaking countries and can be masculine or, less commonly, feminine.

Geography and places named Ellis include several locations in the United States. The best known is Ellis Island in New York Harbor, which served as the federal immigrant processing station from 1892 to 1954 and is now part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. There are also Ellis Counties in Kansas and Texas, named in honor of local figures or early settlers. In addition, Ellis is used as the name of towns or communities within various states.

People with the surname Ellis are numerous and diverse, spanning politics, sports, the arts, science, and academia. Given the wide distribution of the name, notable individuals share the common heritage of its English and Welsh roots, but specific achievements and biographies vary widely.

In culture and media, Ellis appears as a personal name for fictional characters and as a place name in works of fiction or journalism. The term can also be found in other proper noun usages, reflecting its commonality in the English-speaking world.

See also: Ellis Island, Elis (disambiguation), and other uses of the name Ellis.