Ella
Ella is a personal name most often used as a feminine given name, but also as a surname, especially in Australia. In Greek mythology, Ella was the daughter of Athamas and Nephele. The name may be a cognate with Hellas (Ἑλλάς), the Greek name for Greece, which is said to have originally been the name of the region around Dodona.
Meaning & Origin of Ella
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ella is a personal name most often used as a feminine given name, but also as a surname, especially in Australia. In Greek mythology, Ella was the daughter of Athamas and Nephele. The name may be a cognate with Hellas (Ἑλλάς), the Greek name for Greece, which is said to have originally been the name of the region around Dodona.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Ella
Ella first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 1,156 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2010, when 9,883 Ellas were born — ranking #13 that year. As of 2026, Ella ranks #38 for baby girls with 5,136 births, falling sharply (-27%). In total, more than 356K Ellas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Ella
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Ella Adayevskaya , Russian classical pianist
- Ella Graham Agnew (1871–1958), American educator and social worker
- Ella Airlie , Australian singer and composer
- Ella Al-Shamahi , British science communicator
- Ella Anderson (born 2005), American child actress
- Ella Anker (1870–1958), Norwegian journalist
- Ella Aquino (1902–1988), Native American civil rights activist
- Ella Sophia Armitage (1841–1931), English historian and archaeologist
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Ella
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ella is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ella
What does the name Ella mean?
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About the name Ella
Ella is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 356K births in the dataset. Ella's peak popularity came in 2010 when it ranked #12. Use the chart and map above to compare Ella's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2010 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "E" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.