Girl nameCurrently #30 in the USFalling
Ella
EL-uh//ˈɛlə//
2 syllablesPeak year: 20104 lettersStarts with E
Meaning & origin
All, or fairy maiden
Ella can be read as a short form of Germanic names built on 'alles' (all) or as related to Old English/Norse words for fairy or elf-maiden, and it also stands on its own as a bright, simple name. It has been popular since the medieval period and returned strongly to fashion from the 1990s.
Ella's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Ella |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 1,156 |
| 1881 | 1,148 |
| 1882 | 1,206 |
| 1883 | 1,256 |
| 1884 | 1,380 |
| 1885 | 1,401 |
| 1886 | 1,470 |
| 1887 | 1,521 |
| 1888 | 1,782 |
| 1889 | 1,647 |
| 1890 | 1,758 |
| 1891 | 1,692 |
| 1892 | 1,814 |
| 1893 | 1,760 |
| 1894 | 1,769 |
| 1895 | 1,692 |
| 1896 | 1,689 |
| 1897 | 1,708 |
| 1898 | 1,726 |
| 1899 | 1,510 |
| 1900 | 1,923 |
| 1901 | 1,442 |
| 1902 | 1,532 |
| 1903 | 1,426 |
| 1904 | 1,439 |
| 1905 | 1,448 |
| 1906 | 1,350 |
| 1907 | 1,456 |
| 1908 | 1,434 |
| 1909 | 1,391 |
| 1910 | 1,595 |
| 1911 | 1,613 |
| 1912 | 1,921 |
| 1913 | 2,082 |
| 1914 | 2,318 |
| 1915 | 2,962 |
| 1916 | 2,970 |
| 1917 | 3,069 |
| 1918 | 3,299 |
| 1919 | 3,173 |
| 1920 | 3,244 |
| 1921 | 3,258 |
| 1922 | 3,167 |
| 1923 | 3,008 |
| 1924 | 3,080 |
| 1925 | 3,021 |
| 1926 | 2,870 |
| 1927 | 2,856 |
| 1928 | 2,686 |
| 1929 | 2,493 |
| 1930 | 2,423 |
| 1931 | 2,175 |
| 1932 | 2,275 |
| 1933 | 2,045 |
| 1934 | 2,089 |
| 1935 | 1,922 |
| 1936 | 1,849 |
| 1937 | 1,764 |
| 1938 | 1,737 |
| 1939 | 1,842 |
| 1940 | 1,682 |
| 1941 | 1,716 |
| 1942 | 1,680 |
| 1943 | 1,674 |
| 1944 | 1,578 |
| 1945 | 1,480 |
| 1946 | 1,509 |
| 1947 | 1,641 |
| 1948 | 1,562 |
| 1949 | 1,558 |
| 1950 | 1,384 |
| 1951 | 1,364 |
| 1952 | 1,254 |
| 1953 | 1,170 |
| 1954 | 1,099 |
| 1955 | 1,130 |
| 1956 | 989 |
| 1957 | 968 |
| 1958 | 841 |
| 1959 | 866 |
| 1960 | 753 |
| 1961 | 713 |
| 1962 | 638 |
| 1963 | 597 |
| 1964 | 564 |
| 1965 | 485 |
| 1966 | 430 |
| 1967 | 382 |
| 1968 | 314 |
| 1969 | 320 |
| 1970 | 323 |
| 1971 | 257 |
| 1972 | 205 |
| 1973 | 224 |
| 1974 | 212 |
| 1975 | 182 |
| 1976 | 183 |
| 1977 | 163 |
| 1978 | 174 |
| 1979 | 173 |
| 1980 | 174 |
| 1981 | 181 |
| 1982 | 177 |
| 1983 | 156 |
| 1984 | 138 |
| 1985 | 146 |
| 1986 | 127 |
| 1987 | 128 |
| 1988 | 183 |
| 1989 | 165 |
| 1990 | 237 |
| 1991 | 216 |
| 1992 | 229 |
| 1993 | 266 |
| 1994 | 314 |
| 1995 | 310 |
| 1996 | 383 |
| 1997 | 501 |
| 1998 | 657 |
| 1999 | 782 |
| 2000 | 1,232 |
| 2001 | 1,722 |
| 2002 | 3,566 |
| 2003 | 5,918 |
| 2004 | 8,278 |
| 2005 | 9,083 |
| 2006 | 9,225 |
| 2007 | 9,569 |
| 2008 | 9,372 |
| 2009 | 9,669 |
| 2010 | 9,897 |
| 2011 | 9,604 |
| 2012 | 9,224 |
| 2013 | 8,470 |
| 2014 | 8,575 |
| 2015 | 7,917 |
| 2016 | 7,944 |
| 2017 | 8,089 |
| 2018 | 8,136 |
| 2019 | 8,127 |
| 2020 | 7,367 |
| 2021 | 7,046 |
| 2022 | 6,284 |
| 2023 | 5,664 |
| 2024 | 5,685 |
Ella through the decades
- Ella peaked in 2010, when 9,897 babies were named Ella in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Ella has fallen 22% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Ella currently ranks #30 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Ella
Variants & spellings
EllahElle
Famous people named Ella
- Ella Fitzgerald — jazz singer