Ava vs Ella
Ava 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, Ava was ranked #143 and Ella #4 among girls in Norway.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Ava was ranked #8 and Ella #9 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #9 and Ella #39 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #11 and Ella #9 among girls in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #18 and Ella #11 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #32 and Ella #12 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #26 and Ella #17 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Ava and Ella over time
Ava and Ella appear together in 6 published lists, across 167 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Ava in 2.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Ella reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 6 of those lists, and Ava 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2009, Ava moved ahead of Ella in England and Wales · Girls — #21 and #12 the year before became #12 and #13.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ava and Ella changed places 5 times in New Zealand · Girls between 2003 and 2023, ending at #8 and #9.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 23 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Ava and Ella averaged 11.2 places apart, ending at #18 and #11.
- Longest-running competitions
Ava and Ella were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 43 years, from 1981 to 2025, ending at #26 and #17.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Ava #9 in 2016, Ella #2 in 2015.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls43 shared years, 1981–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Ella in 20.
Highest recorded here: Ava #1 in 2008, Ella #3 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #26, Ella #17.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ava held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Ella in 13.
Highest recorded here: Ava #3 in 2018, Ella #6 in 2015.
The order changed in 2009: Ava moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #21 and #12; by 2009 that had become #12 and #13.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ava #9, Ella #39.
Norway · Girls26 shared years, 1999–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Ella in 26.
Highest recorded here: Ava #104 in 2020, Ella #3 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #143, Ella #4.
Northern Ireland · Girls25 shared years, 1998–2024
Ava held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Ella in 25.
Highest recorded here: Ava #9 in 2016, Ella #2 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ava #32, Ella #12.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls23 shared years, 2003–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Ella in 9.
Highest recorded here: Ava #3 in 2017, Ella #2 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #18, Ella #11.
New Zealand · Girls21 shared years, 2003–2023
Ava held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Ella in 14.
Highest recorded here: Ava #5 in 2017, Ella #1 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ava #8, Ella #9.
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 | Ava | Ella |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Meaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence. | 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 | Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve | Germanic, diminutive form |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪvə/ | /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 | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #18 (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
- Ava is recorded with a Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve origin, while Ella is recorded with a Germanic, diminutive form origin.
- Ava and Ella both have 2 syllables.
- Ava'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
Ava
Popularity journey
First recorded1978
First recorded at #522 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1978 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1978–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2008 (recorded 1978–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #18 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · 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