Ella is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Ella means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Ella across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Ella has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Ella is a girl name of Germanic origin meaning “all, whole”. also used as a short form of Eleanor or Ellen.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 352,214 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 68,228 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 4,928 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 2,908 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 8,680 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 6,300 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Ella per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2010 (9,898/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2007 (3,671/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2007 (601/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2015 (341/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2015 (197/yr).
Ella has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 2010, when it ranked #51 nationally (given to 13,178 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2010s.
Eli · Ellie · Isla · Ayla · Eula · Ola · Ila · Iola
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