Elery

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Elery

Pronounced EL-uh-ree /ˈɛl.ər.i/Medium

Meaning: Elery is a lightly trimmed spelling of Ellery, an old English surname that became a first name. Ellery grew from a medieval given name (a form of Hilary, 'cheerful') or from a place name tied to the alder tree. Either way it arrives as a settled surname-name.Low

In 30 seconds: Elery is a spare spelling of Ellery, an English surname-name from a form of Hilary or a place name for the alder tree. It stayed rare, peaking in the early nineteen-twenties (said EL-uh-ree).

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Origin LowEnglish

MeaningElery is a lightly trimmed spelling of Ellery, an old English surname that became a first name. Ellery grew from a medieval given name (a form of Hilary, 'cheerful') or from a place name tied to the alder tree. Either way it arrives as a settled surname-name.

U.S. rank (1981)#5705 ↘ Falling

1981 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1921

Total births (all-time)≈ 318

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Elery is a single-l spelling of Ellery, a family name that crossed over into given use. The surname itself traces either to a medieval form of Hilary, meaning 'cheerful,' or to an English place name connected with the alder tree. Given to boys, it has the tidy, understated ring of many old surname-names.

Elery was never common, reaching only about twenty boys a year at its early-twentieth-century peak and thinning out well before mid-century. A boy named Elery near that peak would be past a hundred today, marking it firmly as a great-grandfather-era name.

Did you know? Elery predates the detective Ellery Queen by a generation, so early bearers carried the plain surname-name long before it picked up any literary echo.

Overall data confidence 50%

References - Elery — Variant of Ellery; English surname from Hilary or alder-tree place name

Variations

ElleryElrayElroyHilary

Nicknames

ElEllie

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Elery…

Ellery— the standard spelling of the same name

Emery— a like surname-name for a boy

Ellis— a similar trim English surname-name

Ivory— a fellow English choice

Asbury— a fellow English choice

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Elery mean?

It is a form of Ellery, an English surname from a medieval version of Hilary ('cheerful') or a place name for the alder tree.

How do you pronounce Elery?

It is said EL-uh-ree, three syllables with the stress on the first.

Is Elery a boy or girl name?

Elery is used here as a boy's name, though Ellery is now given to both.

How popular is Elery?

It has always been rare in the United States, given to only about twenty boys a year at its peak in the early nineteen-twenties.