Girls' name · peaked in 1880
Ella name popularity since 1925
265,529 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Ella. Half of them were born in 2009 or earlier, so the typical Ella is about 17 years old in 2026. Ella peaked in 1880 as the #13 name for girls, and it ranked #29 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 265,529
- Named Ella, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1880
- #13 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #29
- for girls in 2025 (5,831 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.8% girls
- 264,954 girls · 575 boys
- Most popular in
- Mississippi
- 1.88× its national share
Peak year is the year Ella made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Ella births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2010. Measured as a share of all babies, Ella peaked earlier, in 1880.
- Steepest fall: Between 1967 and 1972, Ella's share of baby girls fell by 42%, from 1 in 4,320 to 1 in 7,420.
- Fastest rise: Between 1999 and 2004, it became 10× more common, from 1 in 2,270 baby girls to 1 in 223.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Ella's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Ella.
Decade by decade
Babies named Ella in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 13,846 | 81 | – |
| 1930s | 19,962 | 159 | #122 |
| 1940s | 15,977 | 103 | #158 |
| 1950s | 11,038 | 28 | #244 |
| 1960s | 5,176 | 19 | #429 |
| 1970s | 2,096 | 0 | #776 |
| 1980s | 1,576 | 0 | #1,026 |
| 1990s | 3,897 | 0 | #687 |
| 2000s | 67,544 | 100 | #23 |
| 2010s | 85,922 | 71 | #18 |
| 2020–25 | 37,920 | 14 | #29 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
37.0% of babies named Ella from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Ella is most popular
The index compares Ella's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Ella.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 1.88× | 6,044 |
| South Carolina | 1.72× | 6,375 |
| Alabama | 1.63× | 7,661 |
| North Carolina | 1.53× | 11,503 |
| Arkansas | 1.39× | 3,797 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Ella and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Ella (this page) | 264,954 | 1880 |
| Ela | 2,595 | 2018 |
| Ellah | 1,034 | 2010 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Ella's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Ella.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Ella (1880).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data