Ella vs Erin
Ella and Erincompared 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.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2004, Ella was ranked #3 and Erin #96 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #9 and Erin #72 among girls in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2011, Ella was ranked #12 and Erin #81 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #12 and Erin #25 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #17 and Erin #71 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #39 and Erin #65 among girls in England and Wales.
Ella and Erin over time
Ella and Erin appear together in 4 published lists, across 113 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Erin in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 3 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Erin reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Ella 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 took the other's place near the top
In New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Ella moved into the top 50 at #29 in 2000 as Erin fell out of it to #58, having been #49 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2000, Ella moved ahead of Erin in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #52 and #49 the year before became #29 and #58.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Ella and Erin averaged 29.8 places apart, ending at #39 and #65.
- Longest-running competitions
Ella and Erin were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 45 years, from 1980 to 2025, ending at #17 and #71.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Ella #3 in 2007, Erin #34 in 2006.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls45 shared years, 1980–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Erin in 19.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2007, Erin #34 in 2006.
The order changed in 2002: Ella moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #48 and #47; by 2002 that had become #28 and #48.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #17, Erin #71.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Erin in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Erin #27 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #39, Erin #65.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Erin in 14.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2015, Erin #5 in 2009.
The order changed in 2011: Ella moved ahead. In 2010 they stood at #18 and #17; by 2011 that had become #11 and #20.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #12, Erin #25.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls11 shared years, 1998–2011
Ella held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Erin in 2.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2007, Erin #44 in 2001.
The order changed in 2000: Ella moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #52 and #49; by 2000 that had become #29 and #58.
Most recent shared year, 2011: Ella #12, Erin #81.
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 | Erin |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | An Anglicized form of Éireann, the Irish name for Ireland itself. |
| Origin | Germanic, diminutive form | Irish |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛl.ə/ | /ˈɛɹ.ɪn/ |
| 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, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #4 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #71 (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
- Ella is recorded with a Germanic, diminutive form origin, while Erin is recorded with a Irish origin.
- Ella and Erin both have 2 syllables.
- Ella's recorded meaning differs from Erin's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
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
Erin
Popularity journey
First recorded1975
First recorded at #89 among girls in New Zealand in 1975 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in Northern Ireland, in 2009 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #71 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls