Ellsworth is a surname, originating in England prior to or around the 11th century A.D. in the

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

area. The name comes from

Elsworth Elsworth is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, 9 miles northwest of Cambridge and 7 miles southeast of Huntingdon. At the 2011 census, the population was 726. It was one of only two sites in Cambridgeshire to be cover ...

, from the place-name (and

family seat A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families to ...

) which in turn was derived from the Old English name "Eli" and "worth", an Old English word for farm or homestead. The original spelling was Aylesworth. Many spelling variants are known to exist, including Ellesworth, Elsworth, Ellsworth, Elisworth, Ellisworth, Ellsworthy, Aylesworth, Aylsworth, etc. Ellsworth is by far the most common Americanized/"standard" spelling."History of the Ellsworth Name"
House of Names

Migration from Europe

Records show a number of emigrants to the new world in the 17th century such as: * Josiah Ellsworth, settled in New England, possibly the same as is mentioned as purchasing land in Connecticut in 1645, * Sir John Ellsworth, arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1629 * Jeremiah Ellsworth, arrived in

Rowley, Massachusetts Rowley is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,161 at the 2020 census. Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Rowley (CDP), Massachusetts, Row ...

, in 1650 * Theophilus Ellsworth, arrived in

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

in 1652. Notable people with the surname include: *

Bobby Ellsworth Robert Ellsworth (born May 3, 1959), best known as Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, is an American singer who is the lead vocalist of New Jersey thrash metal band Overkill. He has been the vocalist of Overkill since its inception in 1980, and he and b ...

(Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth), vocalist for the thrash metal band Overkill *

Brad Ellsworth John Bradley Ellsworth (born September 11, 1958) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2011. In 2010, he was the Democratic candidate for a seat in the United States Senate, but he was defeated by Dan Coats, ...

, U.S. Representative from Indiana * Charles C. Ellsworth (1824–1899), U.S. Representative from Michigan *

Dick Ellsworth Richard Clark Ellsworth (March 22, 1940 – October 10, 2022) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs (1958, 1960–1966), Philadelphia Phillies (1967), Boston Red ...

, Major League baseball pitcher * Edmund Ellsworth, (1819–1893) LDS pioneer, Captain of the First Handcart Company *Colonel

Elmer E. Ellsworth Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth (April 11, 1837 – May 24, 1861) was a United States Army officer and law clerk who was the first conspicuous casualty and the first Union officer to die in the American Civil War. He was killed while removin ...

, (1837-1861) friend of Abraham Lincoln often called the "first conspicuous casualty" of the American Civil War *

Harris Ellsworth Mathew Harris Ellsworth (September 17, 1899 – February 7, 1986) was an American newspaperman and politician who served six terms as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Congress, U.S. congressman from Oregon from 1943 to ...

, U.S. Representative from Oregon (1943–1957), chairman of U.S. Civil Service Commission (1957–1959), University of Oregon School of Journalism Hall of Achievement. * James Ellsworth, Lincoln Ellsworth's father, noted banker who helped finance

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen bega ...

's polar 1925 North Pole expedition, coal mine owner, and benefactor of the city of

Hudson, Ohio Hudson is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,110 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community in the Akron metropolitan statistical area and the larger Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, th ...

and the

Western Reserve Academy , motto_translation = Light and Truth , address = 115 College Street , city = Hudson , state = Ohio , zipcode = 44236-2999 , country = United S ...

James Ellsworth (wrestler) James Ellsworth Morris (born December 11, 1984), is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name James Ellsworth. He is best known for his tenure with WWE. Ellsworth began his career in 2002 and worked for 14 years on the i ...

, American wrestler * Jason Ellsworth, American politician *

Jeri Ellsworth Jeri Janet Ellsworth (born August 14, 1974) is an American entrepreneur, computer chip designer and inventor. She gained fame in 2004 for creating a complete Commodore 64 emulator system on a chip housed within a joystick, called Commodore ...

, computer chip designer *

Lincoln Ellsworth Lincoln Ellsworth (May 12, 1880 – May 26, 1951) was a polar explorer from the United States and a major benefactor of the American Museum of Natural History. Biography Lincoln Ellsworth was born on May 12, 1880, to James Ellsworth and Eva F ...

, American polar explorer and benefactor of the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...

Oliver Ellsworth Oliver Ellsworth (April 29, 1745 – November 26, 1807) was a Founding Father of the United States, attorney, jurist, politician, and diplomat. Ellsworth was a framer of the United States Constitution, United States senator from Connecticut ...

(1745–1807), 3rd Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court,

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

of the United States *

Richard E. Ellsworth Brigadier General (United States), Brigadier General Richard Elmer Ellsworth (July 18, 1911 – March 18, 1953) was a United States Air Force commander during the early part of the Cold War. Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, South Dakota ...

(c. 1911 – March 18, 1953), World War II pilot and USAF commander during the early part of the Cold War *

Robert Fred Ellsworth Robert Fred Ellsworth (June 11, 1926 – May 9, 2011) was an American legislator and diplomat. He served as the United States Permanent Representative to NATO (an ambassadorial-level appointment) between 1969 and 1971. He had previously served t ...

(1926–2011), U.S. Representative from Kansas and U.S. Ambassador to NATO * Robert H. Ellsworth (1929–2014), American dealer of Asian art. * Stukely Ellsworth (1769–1837), New York politician * Theodore Richards Ellsworth (1918–1986), World War II POW and author * William W. Ellsworth (1791–1868), American attorney and politician, governor of Connecticut It has also become a first name (e.g.

Ellsworth Kelly Ellsworth Kelly (May 31, 1923 – December 27, 2015) was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker associated with hard-edge painting, Color Field painting and minimalism. His works demonstrate unassuming techniques emphasizing line, c ...

) and a place name in the United States such as

Ellsworth Air Force Base Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder, South Dakota, Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assi ...

, Ellsworth, South Dakota,

Ellsworth, Maine Ellsworth is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Maine, United States. The 2020 Census determined it had a population of 8,399. Named after United States Founding Father Oliver Ellsworth, it contains historic buildings and ...

Ellsworth, Kansas Ellsworth is a city in and the county seat of Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,066. Known as a cow town in the 1870s, when the Kansas Pacific Railroad operated a stockyard here f ...

, etc.

References

{{surname, Ellsworth Surnames English toponymic surnames English-language surnames Surnames of English origin Surnames of British Isles origin