Ellen
Ellen is a female given name: 99% of people named Ellen are women, and it is recorded as female in 15 of the 16 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Female
- Male / female split
- 1% male / 99% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Denmark, Netherlands
- US births since 1880
- 744 male / 272,937 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Ellen
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Ellen," in English, "Guten Tag Ellen," in German. Ellen is a female given name: about 99% of people named Ellen are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Ellen,
German
Guten Tag Ellen,
French
Bonjour Ellen,
Spanish
Estimado/a Ellen:
Chinese
Ellen您好：
Japanese
Ellen様
English
Hi Ellen,
German
Hi Ellen,
French
Salut Ellen,
Spanish
Hola Ellen,
Chinese
Ellen你好：
Japanese
Ellenさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | woman's name | 0% |
| Denmark | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Netherlands | common | woman's name | 25% |
| Norway | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Great Britain | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Ireland | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Belgium | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Germany | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Estonia | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Iceland | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| East Frisia | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Israel | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
Show all 16 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Switzerland | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Finland | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Austria | rare | woman's name | 2% |
United States birth data
744 male · 272,937 female · 273,681 births recorded
Since 1980: 0% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ellen a male or female name?
Ellen is a female given name: 99% of people named Ellen are women, and it is recorded as female in 15 of the 16 countries covered.
How do I address Ellen in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Ellen," in English, "Guten Tag Ellen," in German. Ellen is a female given name: about 99% of people named Ellen are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Ellen a unisex name?
Ellen is not a unisex name: 1% of people named Ellen are men. Ellen leans strongly female overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Ellen a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/ellen (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_ellen,
title = {Is Ellen a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/ellen},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}