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Ella

Meaning, origin and pronunciation, with published usage by place and year.

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Meaning

My God is an oath, in the Elisabeth-derived tradition.

The exact Dutch Ella entry documents a short form of Elisabeth, a variant of Elizabeth, whose Hebrew-linked account supplies this gloss. English Eleanor, Ellen, Gabriella and Daniella routes are separate and are not assigned this meaning.

Origin

English short-form tradition, with parallel European formations.

The reviewed entry describes English Eleanor/Ellen shortenings and later -ella names, while noting independent abbreviations in other European languages. This does not assign one origin to every bearer.

English pronunciation

/ˈɛl.ə/

Directly recorded English pronunciation of the exact given-name spelling. The plain-text guide is approximate; a bearer’s preferred reading can differ.

Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.

Published name usage

Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.

Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
PlaceYearRecorded usagePublished birthsRankNotes
Canada2025Girls612 · preliminary222025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France2025Girls700 (rounded to 5)65Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales2025Girls93246Published ranks differ from ranks calculated over visible rows. Counts retained; automated trend labels withheld. Rank basis: source published.
Northern Ireland2025Girls5225Two rank discrepancies and alternate-view differences retained. Automated trend labels withheld. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland2025Girls16414Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland2025Girls17617Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland2004Boys3506Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States2025Girls5,83129Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States2023Boys512239Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.

Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.

Sources & notes

Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.

Language of use: English

Checked against cited source

The exact English entry explicitly documents given-name use. This is separate from linguistic origin, nationality, ancestry and religious identity. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

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This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Meaning: My God is an oath, in the Elisabeth-derived tradition.

Checked against cited source

The exact Dutch Ella entry documents a short form of Elisabeth, a variant of Elizabeth, whose Hebrew-linked account supplies this gloss. English Eleanor, Ellen, Gabriella and Daniella routes are separate and are not assigned this meaning. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Ella, Elisabeth, Elizabeth entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Ella&oldid=93581456; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Elisabeth&oldid=93542349; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Elizabeth&oldid=93542456. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

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This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Name history: Short form of several names; meaning depends on the longer name.

Checked against cited source

This is a short-form formation, not one universal literal meaning. The reviewed English entry documents Eleanor, Ellen and later -ella names; licensed all and beautiful fairy glosses are not established by this review. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

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This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Short form of: Daniella

Checked against cited source

The exact English entry explicitly documents Ella as a diminutive of Daniella. This optional longer-name connection does not transfer its meaning or pronunciation automatically. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Short form of: Eleanor

Checked against cited source

The exact English entry explicitly documents Ella as a diminutive of Eleanor. This optional longer-name connection does not transfer its meaning or pronunciation automatically. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Short form of: Ellen

Checked against cited source

The exact English entry explicitly documents Ella as a diminutive of Ellen. This optional longer-name connection does not transfer its meaning or pronunciation automatically. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Short form of: Gabriella

Checked against cited source

The exact English entry explicitly documents Ella as a diminutive of Gabriella. This optional longer-name connection does not transfer its meaning or pronunciation automatically. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Origin: English short-form tradition, with parallel European formations.

Checked against cited source

The reviewed entry describes English Eleanor/Ellen shortenings and later -ella names, while noting independent abbreviations in other European languages. This does not assign one origin to every bearer. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

English pronunciation: /ˈɛl.ə/

Checked against cited source

Directly recorded English pronunciation of the exact given-name spelling. The plain-text guide is approximate; a bearer’s preferred reading can differ. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

Syllables: 2 (this documented English reading)

Checked against cited source

Vowel-phoneme count for the cited reading(s) only; no universal count or source-language transfer asserted. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.

Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.

View original source

This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

CC BY-SA 4.0

country_CA

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country_FR

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country_IE

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Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk

Attribution: Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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(C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

Attribution: (C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

Attribution: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence

License: Open Government Licence v3.0

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U.S. Social Security Administration

Attribution: U.S. Social Security Administration

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Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.

License: Statistics Canada Open Licence

Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

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Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.

Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.

License: CC BY 4.0

Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.

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Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.

License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)

Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.

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