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“Variant of Eleanor — The other Aenor (from Latin alia); root sense riches and fame” — Old Provencal/Latin, ultimately Germanic; Arabic light also suggested origin
Girl's name · #29 in the US (2025) · Comeback
Ella was #13 in 1880, slipped to #1152 by 1987, and has climbed back to #29 today. Roughly 351,000 girls have been named Ella since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Popular twin pairings with Ella include Emma, Ava, and Olivia for girls, and Ethan, Eli, and Jackson for boys.
Around the world: #3 in Finland (Swedish-sp.) (2025) · #4 in Norway (2025) · #6 in Germany (2025) · #7 in Denmark (2025) · #8 in Sweden (2025).
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 1,100 notable people named Ella:
Entertainers appear 1.8× more often than among typical names — e.g. Ella Fitzgerald, American jazz singer (1917–1996).
Similar names: Ellie · Stella · Elena · Bella · Lucy · Nora
Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.