Ellison

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family name of English origin, meaning son of Ellis, carried by various notable people
2. A patronymic surname of English origin, derived from a given name such as Ellis or Elias
3. A proper name of English origin, borne by many people, including the American novelist Ralph Ellison

Etymology: "Ellison" is a patronymic surname, meaning "son of Ellis." Its base, "Ellis," is itself a form of "Elias," the Greek spelling of the Hebrew name "Elijah," and "-son" is the Old English and Middle English suffix that marked a son's descent from a named father, as in "Robertson" or "Jackson." The name arrived in English through the medieval habit of forming surnames from first names. Once "Ellis" had become a common given name and family name, adding "-son" produced a new surname that identified the bearer as the child of an Ellis. Such names spread widely in England and Scotland, and the same pattern produced many similar surnames across the English-speaking world.