Girls' name · since 1880
Luella
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 32,605 babies named Luella, peaking in 1918. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #795 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #778 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 32,605
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Luella is the #778 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 32,605 recorded since 1880.
Luella has 32,605 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #778 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #795 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #778 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 32,605 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Luella ranks #795 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #778 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 32,605 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #795 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #778 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 32,605
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Luella's 32,605 recorded births place it above 98.9% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
45 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Minnesota.
How Luella compares
32,605 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Luella's all-time total is 87x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Luella | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 32,605 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 949 | 21 | 19,840 |
Luella's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Luella's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 17% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 83%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1991, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 1918 peak of 949, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Luella popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 949
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Luella popularity over time - boys
16 total births recorded since 1916 (Luella as boys' name)
Luella by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (7,642 births, 23% of the file).
1920s was Luella's strongest decade.
7,642 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Luella births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,384
1880s
1,384 births
- 1890s 2,151
1890s
2,151 births
- 1900s 2,895
1900s
2,895 births
- 1910s
1910s
6,648 births
- 1920s
1920s
7,642 births
- 1930s
1930s
4,100 births
- 1940s 1,905
1940s
1,905 births
- 1950s 947
1950s
947 births
- 1960s 502
1960s
502 births
- 1970s 212
1970s
212 births
- 1980s 132
1980s
132 births
- 1990s 100
1990s
100 births
- 2000s 395
2000s
395 births
- 2010s 1,811
2010s
1,811 births
- 2020s 1,781
2020s
1,781 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 7,642 births (23% of all-time use).
How Luella compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Luella's total volume
Luella by state
Where Luella concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Minnesota | | 1,717 | 5.3% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 1,533 | 4.7% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 1,509 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 1,345 | 4.1% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 1,251 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Wisconsin | | 1,163 | 3.6% |
| #7 | New York | | 1,069 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Iowa | | 1,062 | 3.3% |
1,717 of 32,605 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
Luella appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Luella? ▼
Where does Luella sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Luella most popular? ▼
Where is Luella most popular? ▼
How long has the name Luella been used? ▼
What names are similar to Luella? ▼
What to do with Luella's data
- Luella's decade-level peak was the 1920s (7,642 total births); usage has since declined to 1,781 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Minnesota records the most Luellas (1,717 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Minnesota names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Luella
Nearby Names Like Luella
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Luella
Compare Luella side by side: Luella vs Lue Luella vs Luetta Luella vs Luellen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Luella
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Luella: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Luella draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.