Allyson writes:
In my constant search to find more than one girl’s name that my husband doesn’t hate, I came across Ellison. I like the sound of it and the nickname Ellie is cute, as is Elle. Google and baby name forums, however, tell me that most people see it as a boy name, due to the -son ending. But that logic doesn’t makes sense to me since Allison, Madison, etc., are firmly in the girl category these days.What are your thoughts? Maybe a poll?
The second issue is my name is Allyson. Is it weird to name a baby girl Ellison since it is so close to my name?
As you’ve found, there are plenty of people who think that the -son ending of Ellison, Allison, Emerson, and Madison means those names should be “boy names.” In some cultures, the suffix -son did sometimes mean “son of,” as did the prefixes “Mc-” and “Mac-” and even “B-“. If -son did mean “son of” in our culture, it would be extremely odd to name a child Emerson if his father’s name weren’t Emery—like saying outright that he’d been fathered by another man. Instead, in American English, -son is just a sound, and can be used without revealing the child’s sex or parentage. The same sound can be spelled -sen, -syn, -sin, -san, -sun, -synne, etc.
Even if we did believe the suffix -son ought to always indicate a boy’s name (and a boy’s father’s name), this belief would run counter to the way the names are actually being used. When we consider whether to call a name a “boy name” or a “girl name,” what we look at is its current usage in its current location. Ashley, for example, is neither a “boy name” nor a “girl name”; Ashley is a name that in the United States was once used for boys and is currently used for girls.
So let’s look at the current usage of the name Ellison: in 2012, the name was given to 234 new baby girls and 43 new baby boys. The spelling Ellyson was given to another 36 new baby girls; the spelling Ellisyn to another 45 new baby girls. I’d say this makes Ellison a unisex name currently used more often for girls. The popularity of El- names for girls right now, plus the similarity to the name Allison, would make me push it even a little further toward the girl side; I don’t think I’d recommend it for boys right now.
We can also look at the usage from recent years, to get an idea of where the name is headed. Looking only at the main spelling Ellison:
2007: 150 girls, 22 boys
2008: 172 girls, 29 boys
2009: 146 girls, 31 boys
2010: 196 girls, 30 boys
2011: 234 girls, 31 boys
2012: 234 girls, 43 boys
Overall, the name Ellison is rising for both girls and boys, while staying more common for girls.
The similarity of Ellison to Allyson would be my primary concern. They’re very, very similar: only one slight vowel-sound difference between them. The mix-ups would be a continual issue—and the spelling difference might also lead to a lot of Ellyson, Ellisyn, and Allison mistakes. But I don’t think this has to rule the name out: I think a lot of people would even get a kick out of it (though perhaps that too might get a little tiresome). It helps that the names are generationally appropriate: if I knew of a mother-daughter pair named Ellison and Allyson, I would be able to guess which was which and be fairly confident of my accuracy.
I think based on the stats and current name trends, -son names aren’t “boy only” names. Honestly though, if I heard of a mother – daughter pair named Allyson and Ellison, it would seem cheesy to me.
When I first read the name “Ellison”, I considered it a unisex name. Names that I consider to be unisex almost always end up slightly more popular for girls than boys, so I wasn’t surprised by the data that Swistle mentioned. I think Ellison is a perfectly good name for a baby girl.
That being said, I would not use the name Ellison in a family where there is already an Allyson. They are so darn similar that there will be confusion for years to come. My uncle’s name is Padraig and his son’s name is Patrick, and wow, the confusion and hiccups that they run into is a bit out of control. Now that you know your husband’s style a bit more, I am sure there are names out there that are less similar to your name that you can both agree on.
I think Ellison is fine to use for a girl however, I think it’s too close to Allyson to have them both in the same household. I also have a feeling that the “-son” names like Maddison and Addison are going to sound very dated in a few years, almost like Tiffany, and as such I’m hesitant to encourage people to use them. I really like the name Ellis as an alternative though.
If I saw Ellison, I would guess girl because of the popularity of Addison, Madison, etc. But if it were a boy, it would not surprise me either.
I would not chose Ellison if my name were Allyson. It would be fun maybe to have it in the middle name slot if I truly loved it. But it’s really personal opinion…I steered clear of names that even started with the same initial as mine and my husband’s so I’m probably much more on one side of the spectrum than most.
Perhaps Ellery is a better option. It still has the “Ell” sound, but to me, it’s more feminine, and it also doesn’t rhyme with Allyson.
LOVE Ellery.
My first reaction to “Ellison” is that it’s a male name, but I think that’s because I’m associating it with Larry Ellison.
I never assume that a male name is not going to be used for a girl, because there seem to be no limits or logical barriers to what makes the crossing. But Allyson/Ellison is less than ideal, to me. If it doesn’t bother Allyson, though, she’s the one who’ll be living with it.
It is awfully close to Allyson, so I agree with the commented who suggested Ellery might be a good option instead.
It definitely reads female to me, especially if you are calling her by the nickname Ellie or Elle. As others have said, I would be a bit wary of how close it is to your own name. My oldest is Teresa, which I really don’t think of as being close to my name at all, but we still get miscalled by each others names quite frequently. I guess because of the same letter and similar vowel sounds. It’s not a big deal, but if that’s something that would bother you I wouldn’t use Ellison.
I agree with an earlier poster that Ellison, as with many other ‘son’ names, risks sounding very dated in a few years. The Madisons and Addisons and Ellisons will be time-stamped to these years. For this reason, I would avoid it, even if I liked it very much right now. Timeless names are advantageous for this reason.
That said, there are some classic names that sound similar to Ellison, a few have already been mentioned. Ellory is a very nice one. What about Ellis? I think that would be a sweet name for a girl. Or Hollis? Very cute! Lennox, Cambria, Hartley, Sutton, Holland, and Marin also come to mind.
Allison and Ellison seem a little too close for comfort and I think it might be annoying after a while.
Please keep us posted. I’m interested to hear what you decide! :)
We actually really like/want to use Ellis (for a girl) – when I looked into it, to my surprise it was ALL BOY. I can’t even find any data on it for girls?
The Social Security Administration’s database says the name Ellis was used in 2012 for 216 girls and 399 boys.
Oh, thanks Swistle! You are magic. I knew yourself/someone here would know! ((also I guess I’m a bad researcher because I couldn’t find that!)
One of my friends named her daughter who is about 3 Ellis. She goes by Ellie almost exclusively though. She was named after a male family friend though.
If I saw Ellison on a class list or something, I would assume girl. Wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out to be a boy, but girl would be my first guess.
I don’t care for Ellison and Allyson together though. They just seem to close to use without confusion, unless you were planning to only use a nickname for Ellison & honestly, at that point, I’d probably suggest one of the more common ways to get to Elle or Ellie.
I think Ellison was used primarily for boys long ago, just like Addison was. There is actually an Ellis as a surname in my family, and I want to use Ellison for my daughter one day. I think it sounds feminine for the reasons you mentioned. These days, I would use it for a girl, not a boy for sure.
I am also an Allison and wouldn’t consider names like Ellison or Addison (one my husband tried to convince me to go for). However, my friends have a daughter named Ellis and I think it is adorable!
There is a street in my old neighborhood in Austin called Ellingson. I have always had it on my radar as a boy or girl name. Ellington Air Field in Houston also sounds unisex. Ellison, however, sounds very feminine to me. Love the name. Go for it!
Before I read/noticed that your name is Allyson, I was thinking that Ellison might be confused with Allison by some people. So I definitely wouldn’t use the name Ellison for your daughter. However there are Lots of other El— names you could use if you want the nn Ellie or Elle.
If you plan to call her Ellie and not Ellison, I think it’s fine that your names are so similar.
If you want to call her Ellison, gear yourself up for talking about the similarities every time you meet someone new…and asking for clarification on the phone when Ellison starts getting her own calls… and trying to figure out who someone is referring to when they write “Allison”… and what about when your husband calls out “Allyson!” across the house — will you think he’s actually calling for your daughter?
If those types of things are deal-with-able for you then I say go for it. Men have named their sons their own name for centuries so if they can do that, then you can certainly give your daughter a similar name to yours. :-)
Well said! I agree. :)
I was wondering, where on the Social Security website can you find out the number of babies given a certain name each year? I tried to find it but all I could find was the name’s ranking.
First, go to http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/ . Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Background Information: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/background.html . In the lefthand margin, click “Beyond the Top 1000 names”: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/limits.html . You’ll see two links to download the information.
Excellent, thanks so much!
Abby at Appellation Mountain recently did an article on ‘El’ names. It’s at http://appellationmountain.net/getting-to-ellie/
I do think Ellison and Allyson are close; if I met a family for the first time, I might remember who was older and who was younger, but my husband and boys definitely would not. They don’t think about names generationally.
You’ll find just the right name though! Best wishes to you and your husband as you search!
Ellis is on my short list of names for our third baby boy due this spring. From what I’ve discovered about that name is that it’s currently unisex and rare in the US. I believe in the UK it’s in the top 100 and used almost exclusively for boys there. I think it definitely works for either. But the similarity to your name would make me hesitate.
1.) If I heard Ellison, I would assume it was a girl, especially if it were paired with a feminine middle name (I would recommend choosing a strictly female middle name, since it can be a name used for either sex).
2.) I disagree with one of the commenters, I don’t think Ellery is more feminine then Ellison – rather, I would assume Ellery was a boy if I heard it or read it on a class list/resume. (although, I am from Canada and this name is very uncommon where I live, so it may just be regional).
3.) I don’t think it’s an issue to have an Allyson and and Ellison in the house as you already commented that you would likely call her Ellie or Elle (super cute and super feminine). I also think it’s kind of a sweet nod to you that she will always have. Why is it acceptable to have Jrs. or boys with the same or similar names as their fathers but everyone thinks its odd or weird if it is a daughter and mother pairing.
If you guys both like the name Ellison, then I would go for it!
Not sure if Swistle can comment more on Ellery being more boy vs. girl??
I couldn’t find Ellery in the top 1000 in the USA for the last 100 years for females. In 1959 it was #962 for males and that is it.
The Social Security Administration reports that in 2012, the name Ellery was used for 17 new baby boys and 201 new baby girls. The spelling Ellary was used for another 18 new baby girls.
Thanks Swistle!! You’re the best! Not sure how I couldn’t find that! I’m actually surprised to see those numbers as I think of Ellery as more masculine vs. feminine…. I guess this name just isn’t heard much up here in Canada where I’m from.
To me, using Ellison when mum’s name is Allyson is the same as naming your daughter Catherine when your name is Kathryn. Or, dad Steven naming his son Stephen. Same name, different spelling.
The Alison I know goes by Aly, which is pronounced as Ellie.
In my accent both names sound identical. If I met a mother/ daughter combo like this I would assume they have the same spelling.
Ellison is fine for a girl. It certainly fits in the tradition of Allison, Madison, etc.
As others have indicated, I would avoid Ellison if my name was Allyson. And if you ever go by the nickname Allie, I would avoid use of the nickname Ellie.
I think identifying what you like about the name Ellison would help you think of alternatives.
Is it the – son ending but you feel like Madison is dated or over done? What about Emerson, nickname Emmy?
Is it the s sound it self? What about Hollis nn Holly? Or Carys nn Cary?
Is is the double l in he name with an n ending. about Lillian nn Lily? Or Jillian nn Jill?
Some reflection on why you love Ellison could lead in many directions.
Ellison leans towards boy for me, but it works just fine for a girl too. The ‘son’ endings predicting gender are pretty redundant and Ellison is an attractive name for either. But it’s really close to your name, with almost identical pronunciation in some accents I expect.
How about Ellis (one of my favourites for a boy, but also lovely for a girl)?
Regarding the similarity of the first names: My name is Jennifer (nn Jen) and my mother’s name is Virginia (nn Gin), similar to the one vowel sound difference in Alyson/Ellison. It has never been a huge problem. If one of us was being called across the house and the wrong one responded, the caller would yell back “Not you! I meant ____!” and we all moved on with our lives.
I love the name Ellison (and Ellie, Elisa, and Eliza). If you like it, then go for it.
My name is Allison Ellis and if I have a girl her name will be Ellison. I like the similarity and the fact that Ellison means born from Ellis. Some people don’t like it and that’s fine. But I LOVE it. :)