Ellsworth
A surname most often interpreted as a local or place-based name built from the older personal name Aylward/Ellward plus a settlement term.
The #2,611 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 22,352 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually treated as a habitational or local name, probably referring to a place associated with an early bearer rather than directly meaning a job or nickname. The historical forms pointed to by older surname writers connect it with the personal name Aylward, with related spellings such as Ellward and Ellwood appearing in medieval records. The final element is likely the common place-name word worth, meaning an enclosure, homestead, or settlement.
History
The name is recorded in English surname studies as part of the broader family of forms built from Aylward/Ellward and similar spellings. It later became established in Britain and was carried to North America, where it is now best known as an American surname. Modern usage in the United States is relatively uncommon compared with many other English surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The name can be easy to confuse with the city of Ellsworth, but in surname history it is usually explained through older English name forms rather than the modern place-name alone.
From the historical record
“YorksX o^ o, I. Ellsworth. — Local ; v. Els- worth. Ellwood» Elwood.— (i) Bapt. *the son of Aylward,* q.v. The variant Elward occurs in the 13th”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)