Name of the Week: Ellen

 

Origin:

Ellen started out as the English vernacular form of Helen in the Middle Ages. The name derives from the Greek Ἑλένη (Helene), the meaning of which is much debated by scholars.  Ἑλένη is identical to the Greek ἑλένη (elene) meaning "torch, corposant"* and certainly it has been associated with this word since antiquity and interpreted as meaning "the shining one." Furthermore, Helen's name was closely associated with that of the sun god Helios. Some scholars believe that Helen's name derives from the European root *svarana "the shining one," (from which ἑλένη (elene) also derives) and that she may once have been an Indo-European sun goddess.** Bettany Hughes points out that Helen is often described as shining or radiant in ancient sources.* It may be, however, that rather than the sun, Helen's name was a corruption of Selene, the divine personification of the moon. Conversely, the Greek σεληνη (selênê) "moon," perhaps also ultimately derives from the same Indo-European root as ἑλένη (elene) -- "to shine, to beam."** In the Middle Ages, Helen and Helena were commonly recorded in a Latinised form Elena, and so Elene/Ellen became the standard vernacular rather than Helen itself. As a surname, Ellen not only derives from the first name Ellen, but, in some cases, from the Old English ellen "elder tree," therefore "dweller by the elders." The Old English ellen actually had two meanings. Not only did it mean "elder (tree),"** but also "strength, power, vigour, valour, courage and fortitude."**

Usage:

The Latin Helena was introduced to Britain by the Normans, though its use in Europe is thanks to the Greek-born Empress Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, who was revered for her Christian piety and influence in the promotion of the Christian Church via her son. She is known now as St Helen of Constantinople. She was popularly venerated in Britain where she was, from the Middle Ages, believed to be the daughter of the mythic King of Britain, Cole of Colchester, thereby giving Britain a link to Constantine the Great and the Roman Empire. Some of this legend may be thanks to confusion with the 4th century Welsh Saint Elen, who, legend has it, was the Romano-British wife of Macsen Wledig (Magnus Maximus), the 4th-century emperor in Britain, Gaul, and Spain, and had a son named Constantine.  It is interesting that Helen was little used in the Middle Ages, yet Ellen (Elene) was quite popular. George Redmonds' survey of 1000 names from ten English counties 1377-81, ranks Ellen at #10 which he categorises as "Popular." This is because Helen was systematically recorded as Elena in Latin records and Ellen became the vernacular.  Ellen was so well used that it formed the surnames Ellen, Ellens, Elleyne, Ellin(s), Ellings, Elen, Elin, Hellen(s) and Hellin, though some of this is due to the Old English habitational surname meaning "dweller by the elder trees" (see Origin, above).  Ellen also gained the diminutive form Ellot/Ellota which still survives in the surname Ellett.  Ellen remained in the top 20 throughout the 16th and 17th century, only dipping slightly towards the end of the latter century, as we can see from Smith Bannister's rank of top 50 names from 1538 to 1700 in England: 1538-49: #18; 1550-9: #12; 1560-9: #18; 1570-9: #15; 1580-9: #17; 1590-9: #16; 1600-9: #14; 1610-9: #17; 1620-9: #17; 1630-9: #17; 1640-9: #17; 1650-9: #19; 1660-9: #21; 1670-9: #22; 1680-9: #21; 1690-1700: #20. By the time of the 16th century, Helen and Ellen were used interchangeably, However, Helen and Helena gradually became used in their own right, and separately from Ellen, over the course of the 16th century. Smith Bannister, for example, lists Helen separately in his rankings (above). Ellen remained the dominant form while Helen ranked between #22-40 from 1550 to 1670. To add to the confusion, Ellen was often used interchangeably with Eleanor, which also ranked within the top 20. Through the 18th century Ellen remained very consistent. In Dunkling's top 50 rankings for England and Wales it was #21 in 1700 and still #20 in 1800.  The name was a top 10 favourite in the 19th century -- peaking in 1870 at #5 -- and gradually declined at the end of the century. It remained in the top 100 for the first half of the 20th century, but by this point was on a steep decline, as we can see from its ranks in England and Wales: 1850: #8 1860: #7 1870: #5 1880: #9 1890: #10 1900: #15 1904: #19 1914: #24 1924: #41 1934: #72 1944: *out of top 100* 1954: *out of top 100* 1964: *out of top 100* 1974: *out of top 100* 1984: *out of top 100* 1994: #89 During the 1990s (perhaps thanks to the four generation rule), Ellen had a gentle re-surge in popularity, peaking at #63 (929 births) in 1996. Its top 100 revival lasted only a decade, however, and, as the name started on its decline, its final year in the top 100 was 2002 when it ranked #98 (481 births -- almost half the number six years before in '96).  By 2011, it was #258 (189 births) and had dropped down to #366 (124 births) by 2013.  It has been much more popular in Northern Ireland, where it is still in the top 100. It peaked in 2002 at #28 (112 births) and has gradually declined since.  In 2015, Ellen ranked #384 (119 births) in England and Wales, #361 (10 births) in Scotland and #90 (28 births) in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Ellen Carter (1762-1815), British artist. * Ellen Anckarsvärd (1833-1898), Swedish feminist. * Ellen Terry (1847-1928), British stage actress. * Ellen Key (1849-1926), Swedish feminist writer and suffragette. * Ellen Willmott (1858–1934), British horticulturalist. Contemporary: * Ellen Burstyn (born 1932), American actress. * Ellen Barkin (born 1954), American actress. * Ellen DeGeneres (born 1958) American comedian, actress, and talk-show host. * Ellen Pompeo (born 1969), American actress. * Ellen Muth (born 1981), American actress. * Ellen Page (born 1987), Canadian actress. Literature and Other Media: * Ellen Ripley, main character in Alien (1979). * Ellen Robillard O'Hara, character in the 1936 novel Gone With the Wind and 1939 film.

Variants:

Elene, Ellin, Elin, Elen, Elyn, Ellyn (English), Elin, Elen (Welsh), Elaine (Medieval French)

Pronunciation:

EL-ən [key]

Possible  diminutives:

El, Nell, Ellie, Nellie, Nelly

Sibling Names:

Jane     Susannah     Mary     Catherine     Frances     Sarah  John     Laurence     George     Michael     Patrick     Andrew

Name Lists:

Medieval Favourites   Terrifically Tudor  Gorgeously Georgian   Victorian Darlings   Tennyson Names   River Names

  

If you like Ellen you may also like:   Annie, Martha, Samantha, Lillian, Ada, Caroline, Alice, Margaret, Esther, Lucy

Thanks to Gwen for requesting this name.