Meaning and Origin of: Ellen

The name Ellen is English for "Light" or "A variation of Helen"

Girl name origins & meanings

  • English : Light; A variation of Helen

Girl name variations

Family name origins & meanings

  • English : from the usual medieval vernacular form of the female personal name Helen (Greek Helenē). This was the name of the mother of Constantine the Great, a devout Christian who was credited with finding the True Cross. It was a popular name in Britain, due to the legend (which has no historical basis) that she was born in Britain.
  • English : variant of Hillian.
  • Dutch : from a short form of any of several Germanic personal names beginning with the element Ellen-, as, for example, Ellenborg.

Famous people with this first name