Luella
Luella was the 780th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 349 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 120th; the most babies were born in 1918 (949). Over the last ten years it has moved up 567 places. More babies were named Luella in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning 19th-century coinage (Lou + Ella) · American English
Say it loo-EL-uh /luˈɛlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #780 girls, up 194 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 349girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1918949 babies
- Total since 1880
- 32,621babies recorded
What does the name Luella mean?
Luella is an American name of the 19th century, listed by Wiktionary as a coinage and variant of Louella. It is generally understood as a combination of Lou (from Louise) and Ella, though no record shows how it was first formed. Louise is the feminine of Louis, from the Germanic name Hludwig, 'famous in battle'; Ella is of uncertain origin. SSA records it from the first year of data, 1880.
Lou (English, “short form of Louise”)Ella (English, “given name”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. A coined name; the Lou + Ella analysis is the usual explanation but is not documented.
Related names: Louella, Luelle, Ella, Louise.
See also: American names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Luella', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Louella', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Nicknames for Luella
The usual nicknames for Luella are Lu, Lulu and Ella. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Luella in the last five years, 2011 were named Ella, against 26908 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lu · also for Lucy, Lucia, Lucille | Traditional | #12,652 | 35 |
| Lulu · also for Luna, Louise, Louisa | Traditional | #3,194 | 286 |
| Ella · also for Gabriella, Ariella | Modern | #29 | 30,548 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Luellas go by each one.
Luella popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 16 since 1916.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #780 | 349 |
| 2020 | #974 | 262 |
| 2010 | #1,955 | 103 |
| 2000 | #7,409 | 14 |
| 1990 | #6,324 | 14 |
| 1980 | #4,875 | 15 |
| 1970 | #2,255 | 35 |
| 1960 | #1,233 | 79 |
| 1950 | #769 | 127 |
| 1940 | #430 | 251 |
| 1930 | #255 | 597 |
| 1920 | #224 | 852 |
| 1910 | #184 | 374 |
| 1900 | #192 | 268 |
| 1890 | #175 | 184 |
| 1880 | #140 | 111 |
How popular is Luella, counting every spelling?
Luella has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #781 for girls in 2025, against #780 on the official list, because Kaylin/Kaylynn/Kailyn and Jayleen/Jaylene/Jaelynn and Carly/Karlee/Carlee move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Luella?
349 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Luella (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Luella born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 24 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Luella.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Luella?
About 7,500 people born in the US named Luella are alive today, with a median age of 19; half are between 7 and 77. That makes Luella mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Luella by state
How common Luella was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in South Dakota (10.1×), Minnesota (6.3×), Wisconsin (5.5×), Oregon (4.0×), Iowa (3.5×). In 17 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Luella: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Luella, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Luella
What does Luella mean?
Luella is usually explained as “19th-century coinage (Lou + Ella)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Luella?
Luella was the 780th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 349 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 120th; the most babies were born in 1918 (949). Over the last ten years it has moved up 567 places. More babies were named Luella in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Luella a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Luella in the US.
Where is Luella most popular?
In 2021–2025, Luella was most common in South Dakota (1.89 per 1,000 girls), followed by Minnesota and North Dakota.