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Ella

girl name
Origin
English
Syllables
2
Peak era
2010s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Ella and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

a Norman name from a Germanic element meaning "other"; also used as a short form of Eleanor, Ellen and names ending in -ella

Famously borne by Ella Baker, who helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

The story

Ella Fitzgerald went to the Apollo planning to dance. When her name was drawn for Amateur Night, she watched the Edwards Sisters' act and changed her plan: she would sing. Her official biography describes a noisy audience growing quiet, then asking for more. She had won another song's worth of attention with her voice. Ella's name also has more than one route into use. A Norman form, drawn from Germanic names containing an element meaning other, was used in medieval England long before its nineteenth-century revival. Separately, Ella serves as a short form of Eleanor, Ellen and other names beginning with El or ending in ella. Fitzgerald adds a particular moment to those histories: a performer arriving with one act in mind and finding another. At the end of that change, the audience wanted an encore.

More names with stories →

The formal names behind Ella

Ella is an established short form of this name.

Gabriella · Hebrew origin · feminine form of Gabriel, "God is my strength"

Why we verify every short-form relationship →

How popular is Ella around the world?

In the United States, 37,934 babies were named Ella between 2020 and 2025. In Norway, 348 girls were given the name Ella in 2025.

Ella is on the official records of the United States, Norway, South Australia, Scotland, Austria, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, England and Wales, France, New South Wales, Poland, Mexico City, Chile, Spain, Argentina and Brazil.

United States

1 in 570

In the United States, 37,934 babies were named Ella between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 2010s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Ella peaked in the 2010s. Ella reached 29,684 US births in the 1920s, its high point before 1930, fell to 1,576 in the 1980s, and was back at 85,993 in the 2010s.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Norway

1 in 77 · register 2026

In Norway, 348 girls were given the name Ella in 2025.

1945peak 2025

share of the girls on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure

People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)

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South Australia

1 in 220 · 2017

In South Australia, 84 girls were registered as Ella in 2017.

1944peak 2006

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

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Scotland

1 in 230

In Scotland, 195 girls named Ella were registered in 2024, the 9th most common name among girls that year.

1974peak 2015

share of that year’s name registrations

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

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Austria

1 in 260

In Austria, 289 girls named Ella were born in 2025, the 19th most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.

1984peak 2021

share of that year’s births on record

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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Ireland

1 in 310

In Ireland, 176 girls named Ella were born in 2025, the 17th most common name among girls that year.

1964peak 20072025

share of that year’s name registrations

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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New Zealand

1 in 480

In New Zealand, 121 girls named Ella were registered in 2025.

1900peak 2007

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

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Canada

1 in 620

In Canada, 586 girls named Ella were born in 2024, the 26th most common name among girls that year.

1991peak 20102024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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England and Wales

1 in 630

In England and Wales, 932 girls named Ella were born in 2025, the 46th most common name among girls that year.

1996peak 20032025

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

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France

1 in 920

In France, about 700 girls named Ella were born in 2025, the 65th most common name among girls that year.

1900peak 2022

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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New South Wales

#11 · 2025

In New South Wales, 248 girls named Ella were registered in 2025, ranked 11th in that year’s top 100 for girls.

1990peak 20072025

share of that year’s top-100 registrations

New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names

See the full list for New South Wales →

Poland

1 in 18,000

In Poland, 14 girls named Ella were born in 2025, the 308th most common name among girls that year.

2000peak 20162025

share of that year’s name registrations

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

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Mexico City City

1 in 29,000

In Mexico City, there were 4 registrations of Ella in 2022.

2000peak 2020

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Chile

1 in 30,000

In Chile, 6 girls were registered as Ella in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

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Spain

1 in 65,000

In Spain, 689 residents are named Ella, ranked 1,865th among women, with a mean age of 20.4 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Argentina

1 in 110,000

In Argentina, 6 newborns were given the name Ella in 2024.

2012peak 20162024

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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Brazil

1 in 500,000

At the 2022 census, 398 people in Brazil were named Ella, ranked 15,643rd, with a median age of 27.
Among people named Ella living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1930s than in any other decade.

peak 1930s2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 115 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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Montevideo City

last on record 1996

Ella is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

See the full list for Montevideo →

Not on the record in Puerto Rico: that registry withholds small counts, so rare uses may sit below its floor.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Ella

Most people given the name Ella in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Ella

Evelyn Charlie Maryjane Allie Margot Annmarie

Keep exploring

Names like Ella · Names that go with Ella · Middle names for Ella · Scandinavian baby names · Irish baby names · Global crossover names · Chinese American baby names · Short names · The hundred-year rule

Name trails: explore connections from Ella →

The Ella deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ella truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Ella fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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