Ellul

Ellul is a Maltese surname. Found in 1419 (Hellul) residing in Casali Dragu Gazara et Maritatu, Malta of Siculo-Arabic origin.

Derivation and variants

The surname Hellul was first recorded in Calatatrasi, Sicily (near modern day Corleone) in 1178. Ellul is almost certainly derived from the Arabic ‎أيلول (aylūl) meaning September, as it was likely a nickname given for someone born in September. However Ellul may also be derived from the Arabic word هِلَال (hilāl) meaning crescent moon, as the crescent moon is found on the family’s coat of arms.

A common theory was that Ellul is of Jewish origin, coming from the hebrew word אֱלוּל (elūl), however this has been disproven by early records which list individuals with the surname Hellul (and variants) as a Christian family prior to the expulsion of Jews from Malta. An excerpt taken states “What is certain is that it is not, as suggested by Aquilina ("Race and Language," 187) and Wettinger ("Origin of 'Maltese' Surnames," 341), a Jewish surname, since all the individuals named Hellul in fifteenth century Malta before the expulsion of the Jews were Christian.” Further evidence to Ellul’s Christian heritage is found in documents from the 1700s, naming individuals Michele Giorgio Gellul and Vincenzo Gellul as “Maronite(s) from Beirut”.

Older (possible) variations include: Hellul, Hellule, Hellun, Alūn, Gellul

People called Ellul

Notable people with the surname include:

Andy Ellul (born 1975), Maltese politician

Anthony Ellul (born August 1966), Maltese judge

Jacques Ellul (1912–1994), French (of partial Maltese heritage) philosopher, sociologist, theologian, and Christian anarchist

Massimo Ellul (born 1970), Maltese businessman

Emanuel Ellul, Maltese economist

See also

• Elul or אלול, the last month in the Jewish calendar