MEANING & HISTORY
What does Ella mean?
Ella has several established formation routes. The English dictionary records shortening from Eleanor or Ellen and later use with names ending in -ella, such as Gabriella or Daniella.
Similar short forms have also developed independently in other languages. These different parents do not share one root, so light, fairy maiden or another attractive phrase should not be imposed on all Ellas. The most useful immediate account is a familiar short name.
It may stand alone, without a longer form being part of the bearer’s registered name.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
CebuanoEtymology & source
From English Ella.
a female given name from English
EnglishEtymology & source
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.
A female given name.; A diminutive of the female given names Eleanor, Ellen, Gabriella, and Daniella.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
People with the name Ella
Public figures and other documented namesakes linked by an explicit given-name claim. This is a selection of records, not a popularity ranking.
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Ella Cruz
Filipino actress
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Ella May Saison
Filipino singer
The record establishes the name association, not the person’s intended meaning, pronunciation or ancestry. Descriptions are attributed to Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Use in Philippine-linked records
Wikidata
6
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Ella Cruz, Ella May Saison
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Ella in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Ella
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Bella♀Beautiful; also a short form of Isabella
- Elda♀Battle, through the Hilda name family
- Elle♀Short form of Eleanor, Ellen or other El names
- Elly♀Short form of Eleanor, Ellen, Elizabeth and other El- names
- Elma♀Short form associated with Wilhelmina or Guglielma
- Elsa♀German short form of Elisabeth
- Elam·Hebrew name with hidden and eternity proposals
- Elan·Hebrew Elon variant: oak tree
What rhymes with Ella?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Explore Ella further
Follow the sources
- Wikidata given-name item Q988912 — Ella (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Ella Cruz (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q988912 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wikidata — Ella May Saison (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q988912 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Ella (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Ella (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.