The Baby Name Wizard

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Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Ella!

Comments and insights on the name Ella: | Edit

Ella can be a nickname for the popular name, Isabella, and similar names such as Gabriella, Rafaella, Arabella or Eleanor.

The name Ella is #8 on the list of top 100 cool baby girl names in the baby name book "Cool Names" by Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz.

Personal experiences with the name Ella: | Edit

My name is Ella. I am 20 years old and when I was born it was a very unique name. All my life I heard "Oh, what a beautiful name! You have a very smart mother!" I still get compliments on my name but it is admittedly frustrating that it has become so popular. I love my name and I am very thankful to my mother who didn't even once consider another name for me. Apparently I just "felt" like an Ella Louise when she found out she was pregnant.

My name is Ella. I'm almost 16, and the only other person that I know who is an Ella is my great-grandmother. Ella is not a common name for anyone my age, therefore, I do believe it is a unique name. I love the name I have, and I get compliments on how pretty it is. This is definitely a great name for your daughter (:

My name is Ella. I'm 22 and so far, I've only met 1 other girl with the name Ella. Other people have Ella as a nickname, but their real name is either Stella or Isabella or Shella.. I think if you want your daughter(s) to be called Ella, just named them Ella in the first place!! So I don't get annoying question like "is Ella your REAL REAL name?". Ella is a great name. I always get told how my name makes me seems like a sweet person. No one with the name Ella will be a bad person. Just watch Enchanted :)

So cute!

Nicknames for Ella: | Edit

Ellie, Ella Bella, Elsa, Ells, El, Elsie, Nell, Nellie

Meanings and history of the name Ella: | Edit

Of Germanic origin. Derived from (name) prefix "alia-" meaning 'alien/other'. It can also be a short form of Elizabeth, meaning "covenant with God", or Eleanor/Ellen, meaning "light". Elfin or beautiful fairy woman.

The word ella is the spanish word for 'she' and is pronounced like ay-yuh.

In Hebrew Ella אלה has two meanings. 1) A tree indigenous to the middle east, Pistacia Terebinth, from the pistaccio family. As written in Isiah 6-13: And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land." 2) Ella means goddess in modern Hebrew.

Ella इला means earth in Sanskrit

Famous real-life people named Ella: | Edit

Ella Fitzgerald, jazz singer.
Ella Grasso, first woman elected governor in her own right, rather than as a wife or widow of a politician. She was the governor of Connecticut from 1975-1980.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox, poet and songwriter
Ella Baker, civil rights activist
Ella Smith, Welsh actress
Ella Travolta

Ella in song, story & screen: | Edit

Ella, character in "Ella Enchanted"
In the story "Cinderella", the girl's real name is Ella, she is called Cinderella because of the ashes and soot she gets on herself while cleaning.