Ariel vs Ella
Ariel 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, Ariel was ranked #188 and Ella #4 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ariel was ranked #885 and Ella #17 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ariel was ranked #885 and Ella #39 among girls in England and Wales.
Ariel and Ella over time
Ariel and Ella appear together in 2 published lists, across 53 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Ariel in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Ella reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Ariel in none. 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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Ariel #146 in 2020, Ella #3 in 2019.
List by list
Norway · Girls29 shared years, 1991–2025
Ariel held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Ella in 29.
Highest recorded here: Ariel #146 in 2020, Ella #3 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ariel #188, Ella #4.
England and Wales · Girls24 shared years, 1998–2024
Ariel held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Ella in 24.
Highest recorded here: Ariel #710 in 2020, Ella #6 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ariel #885, Ella #39.
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 | Ariel | Ella |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | Used for both boys and girls | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | 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 | Not yet recorded | Germanic, diminutive form |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈɛl.ə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #188 (2025) | Norway · Girls #4 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ella has a recorded origin (Germanic, diminutive form); Ariel does not have one recorded yet.
- Ariel and Ella both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ella; Ariel doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Ariel
Popularity journey
First recorded1991
First recorded at #631 among girls in Norway in 1991 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1991–2025
Highest recorded position: #146 among girls in Norway, in 2020 (recorded 1991–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #188 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