The Ellis South End Neighborhood Association was named after the Ellis Memorial, which was founded in 1885 by Ida Etheridge as the first non-sectarian boys club in Boston. Ms. Etheridge named the club in honor of Dr. Rufus Ellis, a club patron and minister of the First Church of Boston. Since then, the Ellis Memorial has been caring for children, disabled adults, and families who live and work in the South End and adjacent neighborhoods. The first home of The Ellis Memorial was 241 Tremont Street, near what is now The New England Medical Center.

The Ellis Memorial soon became an important social service center. Most of the club's principal clients were young newspaper boys who were engaged in the lively newspaper trade on downtown Boston's 'Newspaper Row', along upper Washington Street. In subsequent years, The Ellis Memorial moved several times while greatly expanding its services. In 1924, it purchased 66 Berkeley Street where its headquarters remain today.

When the Neighborhood Association was formed it named itself after the neighborhood's most important landmark, the Ellis Memorial. Hence, that is how the Ellis Neighborhood got its name.

For more information on the South End and neighborhood history, check out The South End Historical Society website.