Ellison is an English surname meaning "son of Ellis", and Ellis in turn derives from Elias, the Greek form of Elijah, "my God is Yahweh". The novelist Ralph Ellison gives it literary weight, and for girls it offers a fresh route to the nickname Ellie. Ellison entered the US top 1000 for girls in 2013, peaked at number 838 in 2019 and ranks number 1067 in 2025.