Ella vs Emily
Ella and Emilycompared 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, Ella was ranked #4 and Emily #71 among girls in Norway.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #12 and Emily #5 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #17 and Emily #6 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #9 and Emily #7 among girls in Scotland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Ella was ranked #9 and Emily #30 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #11 and Emily #61 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #39 and Emily #34 among girls in England and Wales.
Ella and Emily over time
Ella and Emily appear together in 6 published lists, across 207 years of shared records. Emily held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Ella in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Emily 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 2019, Ella moved ahead of Emily in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #17 and #10 the year before became #10 and #23.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ella and Emily changed places 5 times in New South Wales, Australia · Girls between 1998 and 2025, ending at #11 and #61.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Ella and Emily averaged 12.8 places apart, ending at #39 and #34.
- Mirrored each other
Over 30 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Ella rose about as far as Emily fell — from #99 and #18 in 1993 to #9 and #30 in 2023.
- Longest-running competitions
Ella and Emily were both ranked in New Zealand · Girls for 30 years, from 1993 to 2023, ending at #9 and #30.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Ella #2 in 2015, Emily #1 in 2013.
List by list
Norway · Girls46 shared years, 1969–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Emily in 19.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2019, Emily #47 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #4, Emily #71.
Republic of Ireland · Girls46 shared years, 1970–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Emily in 41.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2007, Emily #1 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #17, Emily #6.
New Zealand · Girls30 shared years, 1993–2023
Ella held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Emily in 13.
Highest recorded here: Ella #1 in 2007, Emily #2 in 2013.
The order changed in 2018: Ella moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #12 and #10; by 2018 that had become #6 and #8.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ella #9, Emily #30.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Emily in 28.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Emily #1 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #39, Emily #34.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls28 shared years, 1998–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Emily in 19.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2007, Emily #1 in 1998.
The order changed in 2019: Ella moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #17 and #10; by 2019 that had become #10 and #23.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #11, Emily #61.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Emily in 28.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2015, Emily #1 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #12, Emily #5.
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 | Ella | Emily |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | 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. | Rival, striving, eager (traditional interpretation of the Latin root). |
| Origin | Germanic, diminutive form | Latin, from the Roman family name Aemilia |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛl.ə/ | /ˈɛməli/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Em, Emmy, Emilie, Amelia, Aemilia |
| 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 #4 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #6 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Ella is recorded with a Germanic, diminutive form origin, while Emily is recorded with a Latin, from the Roman family name Aemilia origin.
- Ella has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Emily.
- Ella's recorded meaning differs from Emily's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
- The available evidence gives Ella a "medium" Data Confidence level and Emily a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
How each name got here
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
Emily
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #180 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in England and Wales, in 2003 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #61 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls