Ellington

At a Glance: Name: Ellington – Meaning: a place name meaning roughly 'settlement of a man called Ella' or 'eel enclosure', from Old English tūn ('settlement, enclosure') – Origin: Old English (surname/place name) – Gender: used for both boys and girls – Pronunciation: EL-ing-tun

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Ellington traces back to Old English as a place name, generally read as either 'settlement of a man called Ella' or 'eel enclosure,' built from the Old English word tun, meaning settlement or enclosure. You may see it explained as 'Ellis' town,' but that's not accurate — the name comes from the personal name Ella or the word for eel, not from Ellis. If you're drawn to names with Old English roots tied to place and land, Ellington fits that mold.

Meaning & Origin of Ellington

Meaning: A place name meaning roughly 'settlement of a man called Ella' or 'eel enclosure', from Old English tūn ('settlement, enclosure').

Origin: Old English (surname/place name).

A common claim: Ellis' town Actually: Ellington doesn't come from 'Ellis' — it traces to Old English Ella (a personal name) or ǣl ('eel') plus tūn ('settlement').

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Ellington

Phonetic: EL-ing-tun   IPA: /ˈɛlɪŋtən/

Popularity of Ellington

SSA records for Ellington run from 1921 to 2024, and the name's high point came in 2015, when it ranked #2218 with 85 babies given the name. By 2024 it had slipped to #3518, with just 44 recorded.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1921–2024.

Make Ellington Name Art

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Names With a Similar Story

Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.

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FAQ

What does the name Ellington mean?

A place name meaning roughly ‘settlement of a man called Ella’ or ‘eel enclosure’, from Old English tūn (‘settlement, enclosure’). (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ellington)

How do you pronounce Ellington?

Ellington is pronounced EL-ing-tun (IPA: /ˈɛlɪŋtən/).

Is Ellington a popular name right now?

Ellington peaked at #2218 in 2015 and is ranked #3518 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1921–2024.)

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