New Post
Search
Help[Surname] Re: Surname Ellis.
in reply to a message by Nadia
I don't know if this helps, but this is what the first names page says, http://www.behindthename.com/php/search.php?nmd=n&terms=ellis&submit=Go
1
Replies
"The Oxford Names Companion" by Patrick Hanks et al (published by Oxford University Press in 1998) says that Ellis is both English and Welsh.
The English surname Ellis comes from the medieval Elis, the vernacular form of the Greek Elias (from the Hebrew Elijah), popular in the Middle Ages because it was borne by several Christian saints.
The Welsh surname Ellis derives from the Welsh personal name Elisedd (root="elus", meaning kindly or benevolent).
The English surname Ellis comes from the medieval Elis, the vernacular form of the Greek Elias (from the Hebrew Elijah), popular in the Middle Ages because it was borne by several Christian saints.
The Welsh surname Ellis derives from the Welsh personal name Elisedd (root="elus", meaning kindly or benevolent).
1