Meaning & History
Exact origins uncertain. It may stem from the Ancient Greek “Ēlis (Ἦλις) / Ileia (Ηλεία),” meaning “low land, hollow earth.” This is the name of a region in western Greece. Another possibility is that it stems from the name Helios, the mythological son of Poseidon, from the Greek “hḗlios (ἥλιος)” meaning "sun".