Fun Facts About the Name Ellington
- More than 1 thousand babies named Ellington: U.S. records list 1,703 babies given the name Ellington from 1880 through 2025. Even 699 boys received the name Ellington.
What Does the Name Ellington Mean?
Ellington is an English habitational surname, and as a first name it is a transferred use of that surname. It comes from Old English: the personal name Ella + -ing-, meaning "the people of" or "the family of," + tūn, meaning "farmstead, estate, or settlement." The literal sense is "the settlement of Ella's people" or "the estate of Ella's family." This is the usual explanation for the place-name and the surname derived from it. The personal name Ella is an Old English name whose own further meaning is uncertain; here it identifies the group associated with the settlement. A simplified rendering is "Ella's town," but the older elements point more precisely to a settlement associated with Ella's kin or followers rather than to Ella alone. The modern given name keeps the surname's spelling and meaning.
Ellington Name History & Origins
The place-name Ellington is found in more than one English county. Ellington in Cambridgeshire, formerly in Huntingdonshire, appears in Domesday Book (1086) as Elingtune. Ellington in Northumberland is recorded in medieval documents as Elingtun. In both cases the medieval spelling shows the Old English place-name that later became Ellington. People who left these places took the place-name as a surname, and habitational surnames of this kind became hereditary in England during the later Middle Ages.
As a first name, Ellington is a transferred use of the surname. The best-known bearer of the surname is the jazz composer and bandleader Duke Ellington (1899 - 1974). The given name entered use through the English practice of using surnames as first names.
How Popular is the Name Ellington?
Ellington has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2015. Its best rank was #2,218 in 2015.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,868 | 59 | 0.0037% |
| 2024 | #3,518 | 44 | 0.0027% |
| 2023 | #2,678 | 65 | 0.0041% |
| 2022 | #2,606 | 67 | 0.0041% |
| 2021 | #2,649 | 65 | 0.0040% |
| 2020 | #2,758 | 60 | 0.0037% |
| 2019 | #2,310 | 78 | 0.0046% |
| 2018 | #2,227 | 83 | 0.0049% |
| 2017 | #2,976 | 55 | 0.0032% |
| 2016 | #2,392 | 78 | 0.0044% |
| 2015 | #2,218 | 85 | 0.0048% |
| 2014 | #3,149 | 52 | 0.0029% |
| 2013 | #3,947 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2012 | #4,528 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2011 | #5,255 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2010 | #5,013 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2009 | #8,170 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #6,882 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2007 | #10,342 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #11,727 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #15,059 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #10,141 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #16,517 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #10,477 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #16,083 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,167 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 2024 | #5,095 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2023 | #3,488 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2022 | #3,232 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2021 | #3,198 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2020 | #3,671 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2019 | #3,740 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 2018 | #3,395 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2017 | #2,724 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 2016 | #2,669 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 2015 | #3,914 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2014 | #3,715 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2013 | #4,671 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2012 | #4,907 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2011 | #5,270 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2010 | #4,729 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #6,192 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #6,510 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #6,006 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #7,065 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #5,969 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #8,362 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #7,428 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #7,207 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #5,782 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #8,469 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #5,413 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #7,045 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #8,471 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #9,441 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #9,278 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #6,542 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #7,043 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #8,830 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #6,007 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #8,280 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1986 | #5,003 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #5,344 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #3,970 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #4,138 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #4,226 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1942 | #3,719 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1940 | #3,598 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1939 | #3,634 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1927 | #4,375 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1921 | #4,540 | 5 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ellington Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are fine when in harmony but changeable when in discord, because many of your best qualities are then reversed. You are entertaining but may be impulsive. Freedom is a necessity, and you find it difficult to settle down. Your versatility results in many changes, and often brings travel. Your fine intellect is capable of high honors if applied seriously. You are capable of inspired thinking applied to material things. You can be restless, changeable, and very sexy. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Ellington's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ellington's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.