Anna vs Ella
Anna and Ellacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Anna was ranked #23 and Ella #4 among girls in Norway.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #53 and Ella #9 among girls in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2021, Anna was ranked #85 and Ella #10 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2021, Anna was ranked #99 and Ella #10 among girls in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #19 and Ella #12 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Anna was ranked #26 and Ella #17 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #125 and Ella #39 among girls in England and Wales.
Anna and Ella over time
Anna and Ella appear together in 6 published lists, across 228 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 6 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Anna reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Ella in 2. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1998, Ella moved ahead of Anna in England and Wales · Girls — #40 and #44 the year before became #42 and #38.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Anna and Ella changed places 5 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1970 and 2025, ending at #26 and #17.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Anna and Ella averaged 47.6 places apart, ending at #125 and #39.
- Longest-running competitions
Anna and Ella were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 74 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #23 and #4.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Anna #4 in 2016, Ella #2 in 2015.
List by list
Norway · Girls74 shared years, 1945–2025
Anna held the stronger position in 63 of those years, Ella in 11.
Highest recorded here: Anna #4 in 2007, Ella #3 in 2019.
The order changed in 2015: Ella moved ahead. In 2014 they stood at #4 and #6; by 2015 that had become #7 and #4.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anna #23, Ella #4.
Republic of Ireland · Girls46 shared years, 1970–2025
Anna held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Ella in 21.
Highest recorded here: Anna #12 in 2013, Ella #3 in 2007.
The order changed in 2018: Ella moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #12 and #14; by 2018 that had become #12 and #6.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anna #26, Ella #17.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Anna held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Ella in 27.
Highest recorded here: Anna #31 in 2000, Ella #6 in 2015.
The order changed in 1998: Ella moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #40 and #44; by 1998 that had become #42 and #38.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anna #125, Ella #39.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Anna held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Ella in 12.
Highest recorded here: Anna #4 in 2016, Ella #2 in 2015.
The order changed in 2018: Ella moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #5 and #7; by 2018 that had become #8 and #5.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anna #19, Ella #12.
New Zealand · Girls27 shared years, 1993–2021
Anna held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Ella in 23.
Highest recorded here: Anna #19 in 2001, Ella #1 in 2007.
The order changed in 1998: Ella moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #34 and #36; by 1998 that had become #32 and #19.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Anna #99, Ella #10.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls24 shared years, 1998–2021
Anna held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Ella in 23.
Highest recorded here: Anna #41 in 2000, Ella #2 in 2007.
The order changed in 1999: Ella moved ahead. In 1998 they stood at #70 and #85; by 1999 that had become #58 and #52.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Anna #85, Ella #10.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Anna | Ella |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A form of Hannah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament, from the Hebrew root 'hanan' relating to grace. Appears in the New Testament as a prophetess who recognised Jesus as the Messiah. | A diminutive of Eleanor, Ellen and other names beginning with 'El-', also used as a short form of names ending in '-ella'. Widely used across Scandinavian and Germanic languages as well as English. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission | Germanic, diminutive form |
| Pronunciation | /ˈa.na/ | /ˈɛl.ə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #23 (2025) | Norway · Girls #4 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Anna is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission origin, while Ella is recorded with a Germanic, diminutive form origin.
- Anna and Ella both have 2 syllables.
- Anna's recorded meaning differs from Ella's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Anna
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #38 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1956–2021
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New Zealand, in 1980 (recorded 1956–2021).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #23 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Ella
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #137 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1993–2023
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New Zealand, in 2007 (recorded 1993–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #11 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls