Girl · #13,427 in 2026

Pella

Pella was the capital of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon from the 4th century BC up until the Roman conquest in 168 BC. Pella was the birthplace of Philip II in 382 BC, and his son Alexander the Great in 356 BC. It is located 1 km outside the modern town of Pella in Central Macedonia, Greece.

Current Rank
#13,427
Peak Rank
#10,953 (2014)
Total Babies
66
5-Yr Trend
-25%
2009
First Year
2024
Last Year
2014
Peak Year
#10953
Peak Rank
66
Total Count
10
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Pella

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Pella was the capital of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon from the 4th century BC up until the Roman conquest in 168 BC. Pella was the birthplace of Philip II in 382 BC, and his son Alexander the Great in 356 BC. It is located 1 km outside the modern town of Pella in Central Macedonia, Greece.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology
The name is probably derived from the word pella , ( Ancient Greek : πέλλα ), "stone" which seems to appear in some other toponyms in Greece like Pellene . Julius Pokorny reconstructs the word from the Proto-Indo-European root peli-s, pel-s, Vedic Sanskrit : pāsāna, stone (from *pars, *pels), Greek : πέλλα , λίθος , stone, Hesychius (*pelsa), Pashto : parša (*plso), cliff, Germanic : *falisa, German : Fels, Old Norse : fell (*pelso), Illyrian : *pella, *palla. Solders in an essay on Hesychius glossary has referenced πέλλα (pella), λίθος (stone) as an ancient Macedonian word. With the prefix "α
Origin & history
House of Dionysus (325–300 BC). The main courtyard of the House of Dionysos. Shops along the eastern edge of the agora. Stag Hunt Mosaic from the House of the Abduction of Helen. Lion hunt mosaic In antiquity, Pella was a strategic port in Lower Macedonia , connected to the Thermaic Gulf by a navigable inlet , but the harbour and gulf have since silted up, leaving the site inland. Pella is first mentioned in relation to Xerxes ' campaign and in relation to Macedonian expansion and the war against Sitalces , the king of the Thracians . It was probably built as the commercial capital of the king

The Story of Pella

American parents first put Pella on the record books as a baby girl name in 2009, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2014, when 9 Pellas were born — ranking #10,953 that year. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 56% of all recorded Pellas. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2024 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 66 Pellas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2000s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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Names that sound like Pella

Phonetically similar names — useful when Pella 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 Pella

What does the name Pella mean?
Pella was the capital of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon from the 4th century BC up until the Roman conquest in 168 BC. Pella was the birthplace of Philip II in 382 BC, and his son Alexander the Great in 356 BC. It is located 1 km outside the modern town of Pella in Central Macedonia, Greece.
How popular is Pella in 2026?
In 2026, Pella ranks #13,427 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.
When was Pella most popular?
Pella reached its peak popularity in 2014, ranking #10,953 that year with 9 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Pella most popular?
Pella has historically been most popular in New York. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Pella.
Is Pella a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Pella is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Pella?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Pella include Cedella, Frayda, Jaice. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Cedella
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Frayda
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Jaice
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Lety
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Shaw
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Julena
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Solangel
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Teliah
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About the name Pella

Pella is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2009 and has accumulated 66 births in the dataset. Pella's peak popularity came in 2014 when it ranked #10,953. Use the chart and map above to compare Pella's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.