Ella
Ella was given to 5,831 girls in 2025, #29 among girls’ names; 352,214 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 224,000 Americans named Ella and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (64% of everyone recorded); the median is 15 years old and half are between 9 and 21.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Ella by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Ella mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Ella is “a female given name.”
Also “a diminutive of the female given names Eleanor, Ellen, Gabriella, and Daniella.”
A 19th-century shortening of Eleanor or Ellen, later also used for any name ending in -ella, such as Gabriella or Daniella. Similar abbreviations have been formed independently in many European languages, for any name containing the syllable -el-, e.g. Elisabeth.
/ˈɛl.ə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Ella?
#29 among girls’ names, 2025
Ella fell from #18 in 2015 to #29 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 4.4 to 3.6 per 1,000.
9,898 babies in 2010, the peak
Ella peaked in 2010, when 9,898 babies were given it (9,884 girls, #13 among girls’ names). The 5,831 births of 2025 are 59% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5,831 | #29 | 3.6 |
| 2024 | 5,715 | #30 | 3.5 |
| 2023 | 5,670 | #32 | 3.5 |
| 2022 | 6,291 | #25 | 3.8 |
| 2021 | 7,041 | #16 | 4.3 |
| 2020 | 7,372 | #15 | 4.6 |
| 2019 | 8,131 | #13 | 4.8 |
| 2018 | 8,127 | #15 | 4.8 |
| 2017 | 8,084 | #16 | 4.7 |
| 2016 | 7,940 | #17 | 4.5 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 7,918 | #18 | 4.4 |
| 2014 | 8,570 | #17 | 4.8 |
| 2013 | 8,461 | #15 | 4.8 |
| 2012 | 9,210 | #12 | 5.2 |
| 2011 | 9,597 | #12 | 5.5 |
| 2010 | 9,884 | #13 | 5.6 |
| 2009 | 9,659 | #15 | 5.3 |
| 2008 | 9,364 | #19 | 5.0 |
| 2007 | 9,554 | #21 | 5.0 |
| 2006 | 9,213 | #21 | 4.8 |
| 2005 | 9,072 | #23 | 4.9 |
| 2004 | 8,252 | #29 | 4.5 |
| 2003 | 5,909 | #44 | 3.2 |
| 2002 | 3,567 | #89 | 2.0 |
| 2001 | 1,722 | #190 | 1.0 |
| 2000 | 1,232 | #264 | 0.68 |
| 1999 | 782 | #373 | 0.44 |
| 1998 | 659 | #409 | 0.37 |
| 1997 | 501 | #493 | 0.29 |
| 1996 | 383 | #596 | 0.22 |
| 1995 | 310 | #687 | 0.18 |
| 1994 | 314 | #676 | 0.18 |
| 1993 | 266 | #777 | 0.15 |
| 1992 | 229 | #860 | 0.12 |
| 1991 | 216 | #899 | 0.12 |
| 1990 | 237 | #827 | 0.12 |
| 1989 | 165 | #1,035 | 0.09 |
| 1988 | 183 | #924 | 0.10 |
| 1987 | 128 | #1,152 | 0.07 |
| 1986 | 128 | #1,132 | 0.07 |
| 1985 | 147 | #1,026 | 0.09 |
| 1984 | 138 | #1,029 | 0.08 |
| 1983 | 156 | #949 | 0.09 |
| 1982 | 176 | #876 | 0.10 |
| 1981 | 181 | #859 | 0.11 |
| 1980 | 174 | #881 | 0.10 |
| 1979 | 173 | #881 | 0.11 |
| 1978 | 174 | #849 | 0.11 |
| 1977 | 163 | #881 | 0.11 |
| 1976 | 183 | #781 | 0.12 |
| 1975 | 182 | #776 | 0.12 |
| 1974 | 212 | #695 | 0.14 |
| 1973 | 224 | #664 | 0.15 |
| 1972 | 205 | #706 | 0.13 |
| 1971 | 257 | #640 | 0.15 |
| 1970 | 323 | #564 | 0.18 |
| 1969 | 320 | #551 | 0.19 |
| 1968 | 314 | #545 | 0.19 |
| 1967 | 382 | #486 | 0.23 |
| 1966 | 430 | #454 | 0.25 |
| 1965 | 479 | #429 | 0.27 |
| 1964 | 564 | #411 | 0.30 |
| 1963 | 597 | #393 | 0.31 |
| 1962 | 630 | #374 | 0.32 |
| 1961 | 714 | #358 | 0.35 |
| 1960 | 746 | #352 | 0.37 |
| 1959 | 867 | #314 | 0.43 |
| 1958 | 841 | #320 | 0.42 |
| 1957 | 968 | #290 | 0.47 |
| 1956 | 989 | #276 | 0.49 |
| 1955 | 1,125 | #244 | 0.58 |
| 1954 | 1,099 | #244 | 0.57 |
| 1953 | 1,161 | #235 | 0.62 |
| 1952 | 1,245 | #220 | 0.67 |
| 1951 | 1,364 | #206 | 0.76 |
| 1950 | 1,379 | #198 | 0.80 |
| 1949 | 1,552 | #177 | 0.91 |
| 1948 | 1,554 | #177 | 0.92 |
| 1947 | 1,635 | #177 | 0.92 |
| 1946 | 1,499 | #177 | 1.0 |
| 1945 | 1,473 | #158 | 1.1 |
| 1944 | 1,573 | #158 | 1.2 |
| 1943 | 1,664 | #155 | 1.2 |
| 1942 | 1,659 | #152 | 1.2 |
| 1941 | 1,697 | #141 | 1.4 |
| 1940 | 1,671 | #146 | 1.5 |
| 1939 | 1,829 | #132 | 1.7 |
| 1938 | 1,728 | #140 | 1.6 |
| 1937 | 1,748 | #134 | 1.6 |
| 1936 | 1,836 | #126 | 1.8 |
| 1935 | 1,901 | #122 | 1.8 |
| 1934 | 2,071 | #113 | 2.0 |
| 1933 | 2,027 | #113 | 2.0 |
| 1932 | 2,256 | #108 | 2.1 |
| 1931 | 2,162 | #110 | 2.0 |
| 1930 | 2,404 | #107 | 2.1 |
| 1929 | 2,475 | #102 | 2.2 |
| 1928 | 2,670 | #100 | 2.3 |
| 1927 | 2,843 | #98 | 2.4 |
| 1926 | 2,852 | #98 | 2.4 |
| 1925 | 3,006 | #93 | 2.5 |
| 1924 | 3,061 | #94 | 2.5 |
| 1923 | 2,995 | #93 | 2.5 |
| 1922 | 3,150 | #90 | 2.6 |
| 1921 | 3,237 | #89 | 2.6 |
| 1920 | 3,232 | #88 | 2.7 |
| 1919 | 3,158 | #87 | 2.8 |
| 1918 | 3,291 | #84 | 2.8 |
| 1917 | 3,054 | #83 | 2.8 |
| 1916 | 2,965 | #81 | 2.8 |
| 1915 | 2,954 | #75 | 3.0 |
| 1914 | 2,308 | #72 | 3.0 |
| 1913 | 2,071 | #70 | 3.3 |
| 1912 | 1,921 | #69 | 3.4 |
| 1911 | 1,604 | #63 | 3.8 |
| 1910 | 1,587 | #62 | 4.0 |
| 1909 | 1,382 | #60 | 4.0 |
| 1908 | 1,428 | #56 | 4.3 |
| 1907 | 1,450 | #54 | 4.6 |
| 1906 | 1,343 | #54 | 4.5 |
| 1905 | 1,438 | #52 | 4.9 |
| 1904 | 1,432 | #48 | 5.2 |
| 1903 | 1,419 | #50 | 5.4 |
| 1902 | 1,525 | #45 | 5.8 |
| 1901 | 1,435 | #42 | 6.0 |
| 1900 | 1,911 | #42 | 6.4 |
| 1899 | 1,502 | #42 | 6.4 |
| 1898 | 1,715 | #39 | 6.6 |
| 1897 | 1,708 | #36 | 7.3 |
| 1896 | 1,683 | #36 | 7.1 |
| 1895 | 1,692 | #35 | 7.2 |
| 1894 | 1,761 | #31 | 7.9 |
| 1893 | 1,760 | #28 | 8.3 |
| 1892 | 1,808 | #27 | 8.5 |
| 1891 | 1,685 | #23 | 9.1 |
| 1890 | 1,758 | #23 | 9.2 |
| 1889 | 1,647 | #22 | 9.2 |
| 1888 | 1,774 | #18 | 9.9 |
| 1887 | 1,521 | #16 | 10.4 |
| 1886 | 1,464 | #19 | 10.1 |
| 1885 | 1,395 | #19 | 10.5 |
| 1884 | 1,374 | #19 | 10.6 |
| 1883 | 1,251 | #16 | 11.1 |
| 1882 | 1,206 | #15 | 11.2 |
| 1881 | 1,148 | #13 | 12.5 |
| 1880 | 1,156 | #13 | 12.7 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Ella a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Ella has been given almost only to girls: 901 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Ella: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Ella, and how old are they?
224,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 64% of the 352,214 Americans ever recorded as Ella. The median Ella alive today is 15 years old; half are between 9 and 21.
The 2020 Census counted 185,535 people named Ella (185,252 women and girls, 283 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 198,419 born in the U.S. The Census count is 6% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 9,400 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 15,500 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 3,860 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 3,270 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 97,400 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 94,600 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Ella born?
The states with the most babies named Ella are California, Texas and New York, with 24% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 561 | #41 | 0.7× |
| Texas | 476 | #43 | 0.8× |
| New York | 375 | #18 | 0.7× |
| Florida | 374 | #27 | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 236 | #20 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 212 | #23 | 1.4× |
| Ohio | 205 | #29 | 0.9× |
| Georgia | 200 | #21 | 1.2× |
| Illinois | 180 | #36 | 0.8× |
| Michigan | 178 | #21 | 0.9× |
Where Ella is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Ella is most over-represented in Mississippi: since 1910 it was given 1.8 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Ella with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 546,207 babies since 1880, Ella is the most given (64% of them). In 2025 it was given to 5,831 of their 13,304 babies (44%), the second most given that year.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Ella
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Ella and names like it
- Compare Ella and EllieBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sElla peaked in 2010.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Ella since 1910.
- The top names of 2010The year the most babies were named Ella.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Ella alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with EMost given first.