Maelis is a French spelling of Maëlys, a feminine form of the Breton name Maël, which means "prince" or "chief". Maëlys has been one of the most popular girls' names in France since the 2000s, and the accent-free spelling travels easily into English. In the United States Maelis is brand new: it had fewer than ten births in 2024 and jumped to number 2739 in 2025, with 63 girls given the name.