English
The surname Ellice is of English origin.It is derived from the medieval given name Elis.The Hebrew name Elijah 'Jehovah is God' was made in Greek Elias and this personal name was very popular in medieval England.It became in Old English Elys or Elis and this came to be the basis of the surname Ellis.The name thus comes to signify 'Jehovah is God' or 'My God is Yahveh'.The name in the Hebrew form was borne by a Biblical prophet,but its popularity among Cristians in the Middle Ages was as a result of its adoption by various early saints;as for example the seventh century bishop of Syracuse and a ninth century Spanish martyr.The name was also wonderfully popularized throughout Cristian Europe by the Crusaders.In Wales this surname seems to have absorbed the Welsh personal name Elisedd,a derivative of 'elus' kindly,benevolent.The name is quite common in both Scotland and Ireland.The name dates back to the twelfth century were a Elis de Adham is recorded in historical archives.One of the first forefathers to bring this name to America is that of Richard Ellis,who came to America in the Lion in 1632;he settled in Newtonville in Massachusetts.This name is the one hundred and first most common surname in America.