| Ellis | Evan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Benevolent; from Elijah | God is gracious |
| Origin | Welsh | welsh |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | EL-iss | EV-uhn |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2025 (1,417) | 2007 (10,295) |
| In 2025 | 1,417 | 2,412 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ellis | Evan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7,039 | 17,014 |
| 2010s | 7,098 | 64,762 |
| 2000s | 2,355 | 92,144 |
| 1990s | 1,796 | 59,396 |
| 1980s | 1,514 | 32,484 |
| 1970s | 1,664 | 7,870 |
| 1960s | 2,596 | 5,084 |
| 1950s | 3,970 | 2,989 |
| 1940s | 4,617 | 1,545 |
| 1930s | 4,482 | 1,175 |
| 1920s | 6,125 | 1,511 |
| 1910s | 4,433 | 1,130 |
| 1900s | 1,100 | 218 |
| 1890s | 886 | 187 |
| 1880s | 728 | 192 |
From the Welsh Elis, a form of Elijah, “the Lord is my God,” and linked to “benevolent.”
An anglicisation of the Welsh Iefan/Ifan, a form of John, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning 'God is gracious.' A John-root grace name.
Evan is more popular than Ellis today: about 2,412 US babies were given the name Evan in 2025, compared with 1,417 named Ellis.
Ellis means Benevolent; from Elijah (Welsh origin), while Evan means God is gracious (welsh origin).
In US records, Ellis first appears in 1880 and Evan in 1880, so Ellis has the longer recorded history.