Doris vs Ella
Doris 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Doris was ranked #2411 and Ella #39 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 1975, Doris was ranked #496 and Ella #593 among girls in Norway.
Doris and Ella over time
Doris and Ella appear together in 2 published lists, across 50 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Doris in 0.
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 1 of those lists, and Doris 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Doris and Ella changed places 9 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 1975, ending at #496 and #593.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Doris #2070 in 2015, Ella #6 in 2015.
List by list
Norway · Girls27 shared years, 1945–1975
Doris held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Ella in 16.
Highest recorded here: Doris #173 in 1955, Ella #123 in 1946.
The order changed in 1972: Doris moved ahead. In 1971 they stood at #440 and #351; by 1972 that had become #587 and #590.
Most recent shared year, 1975: Doris #496, Ella #593.
England and Wales · Girls23 shared years, 1996–2024
Doris held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Ella in 23.
Highest recorded here: Doris #2070 in 2015, Ella #6 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Doris #2411, 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 | Doris | Ella |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | 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 | England and Wales · Girls #2411 (2024) | 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); Doris does not have one recorded yet.
- Doris and Ella both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ella; Doris doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Doris
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #296 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–1987
Highest recorded position: #173 among girls in Norway, in 1955 (recorded 1945–1987).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2411 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · 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