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Ellis Family History

Ellis Surname Meaning

English: from the Middle English personal name Elis, an Old French vernacular form of Elias, the Latin and New Testament Greek form of Hebrew Eliyahu; see Elijah and compare Elias, Lias, Ely. This surname is also common among African Americans.

English: possibly in some instances from the Middle English female personal name Elice, a pet form of Elizabeth.

Welsh: from Elis, a shortened form of the Welsh personal name Elisse (earlier Elisedd, a derivative of elus ‘kindly, benevolent’).

As usual in Welsh, the stress in Elisse is on the penultimate syllable -li-, which shifts to initial El- when the name is shortened to Elis. It later became confused with Ellis in 1 above.

Americanized form of some original Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname (most likely based on Yiddish form of the Biblical personal name Elijah).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Ellis family from?

You can see how Ellis families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ellis family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ellis families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 8,359 Ellis families living in Yorkshire. This was about 19% of all the recorded Ellis's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Ellis families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ellis surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Ellis ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Ellis. 6% of Ellis men worked as a General Labourer and 64% of Ellis women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Ellis were Bricklayer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Ellis | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    6%
  • Farmer
    3%
  • Builders Labourer
    2%
  • Bricklayer
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    64%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Ellis family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Ellis. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ellis census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Ellis

Passenger Lists

There are 145,000 immigration records available for the last name Ellis. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Ellis immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 226,000 military records available for the last name Ellis. For the veterans among your Ellis ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Ellis military records

You've only scratched the surface of Ellis family history

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What is the average Ellis lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Ellis life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Ellis in 1940 was 45, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Ellis

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Ellis ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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