Ella
Ella was the 29th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 5,831 babies. Its best year was 2011, when it ranked 12th; the most babies were born in 2010 (9,884). Over the last ten years it has moved down 11 places. More babies were named Ella in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Meaning disputed · English, Germanic
Say it EL-uh /ˈɛlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #29 girls, down 14 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 5,831girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20109,884 babies
- Total since 1880
- 352,214babies recorded
What does the name Ella mean?
Ella has two documented sources. Wiktionary treats it mainly as a 19th-century short form of Eleanor or Ellen, later also used for any name ending in -ella. DMNES records a medieval Ella with roots either in a Germanic element meaning 'all' or in Latin alia, 'other'. The modern name mostly reflects the short-form use.
*allaz (Proto-Germanic, “all, whole (DMNES option)”)
How sure is this? Disputed. The medieval name and the modern pet form may be different names with the same spelling.
See also: English names.
Nicknames for Ella
The usual nicknames for Ella are Ellie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Ella in the last five years, 99 were named Ellie, against 28 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellie · also for Elisa, Elouise, Eliora | Modern | #24 | 30,119 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Ellas go by each one.
Ella popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 901 since 1883.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #29 | 5,831 |
| 2020 | #15 | 7,372 |
| 2010 | #13 | 9,884 |
| 2000 | #264 | 1,232 |
| 1990 | #828 | 237 |
| 1980 | #881 | 174 |
| 1970 | #564 | 323 |
| 1960 | #352 | 746 |
| 1950 | #198 | 1,379 |
| 1940 | #146 | 1,671 |
| 1930 | #107 | 2,404 |
| 1920 | #88 | 3,232 |
| 1910 | #62 | 1,587 |
| 1900 | #42 | 1,911 |
| 1890 | #23 | 1,758 |
| 1880 | #13 | 1,156 |
How popular is Ella, counting every spelling?
Ella is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #36 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #29 for Ella on its own. Together these spellings went to 6,028 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ella | 5,831 | #29 | 30,548 |
| Ela | 135 | #1,562 | 580 |
| Ellah | 29 | #4,687 | 167 |
| Elah | 33 | #4,286 | 102 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Ella?
5,831 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ella (1.62 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Ella born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 33. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ella.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ella?
About 223,800 people born in the US named Ella are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 9 and 21. That makes Ella mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Ella by state
How common Ella was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (3.3×), North Dakota (2.5×), Rhode Island (2.5×), Hawaii (2.4×), Alaska (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Texas, California, New Mexico.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ella: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ella, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ella · Sibling names for Ella
Ella is also a nickname for Gabriella, Ariella and Luella.
Questions about the name Ella
What does Ella mean?
The meaning of Ella is disputed: the medieval name and the modern pet form may be different names with the same spelling.
How popular is the name Ella?
Ella was the 29th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 5,831 babies. Its best year was 2011, when it ranked 12th; the most babies were born in 2010 (9,884). Over the last ten years it has moved down 11 places. More babies were named Ella in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Ella a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Ella in the US.
Where is Ella most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ella was most common in Vermont (12.59 per 1,000 girls), followed by North Dakota and Rhode Island.