Ella

Did you know?

A few things about Ella you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Ella

Ella Fitzgerald

American jazz singer (1917–1996)

Choose Ella and your child shares a first name with Ella Fitzgerald, an American jazz singer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Ella, like who?” Ella Fitzgerald's Wikipedia article is available in 100 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Ella Fitzgerald on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Lewin/Kaufman/Schwartz, Public Relations, Beverly Hills, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 276 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Ella, 5,831 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Ella.
• 📜HistoryElla has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Ellas, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2012, when it reached #12.
• 📈Then vs nowElla is 5.3× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 1,474 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 276.
• 📍Where it's lovedElla is most popular in North Dakota, where it ranks #7, followed by Vermont (#11) and South Dakota (#12). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Germanic, Ella means “possibly all, entirely”. Our records link it to Greek, Hebrew and Old German roots.
• 🌍OriginElla is the #8 most popular Greek girl name in the US. That's out of 1,009 Greek girl and unisex names in our list.

About the name Ella

Ella is a girl name of Greek, Hebrew and Old German origin meaning “possibly all, entirely”. It has 4 letters and 2 syllables, starting with E and ending in “-lla”. US birth records list Ella for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2012, when it ranked #12 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #29, with 5,831 babies.

Origin:Greek namesHebrew namesOld German names