Ella vs Grace
Ella and Gracecompared 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.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #12 and Grace #1 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #4 and Grace #503 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #17 and Grace #4 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Ella was ranked #9 and Grace #18 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #9 and Grace #13 among girls in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #11 and Grace #11 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #39 and Grace #25 among girls in England and Wales.
Ella and Grace over time
Ella and Grace appear together in 6 published lists, across 205 years of shared records. Grace held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Ella 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.
Grace 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 2020, Ella moved ahead of Grace in New Zealand · Girls — #12 and #11 the year before became #10 and #17.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ella and Grace changed places 6 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #39 and #25.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Ella and Grace averaged 5.8 places apart, ending at #39 and #25.
- Longest-running competitions
Ella and Grace were both ranked in New Zealand · Girls for 30 years, from 1993 to 2023, ending at #9 and #18.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Ella #2 in 2015, Grace #1 in 2013.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls46 shared years, 1970–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Grace in 39.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2007, Grace #1 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #17, Grace #4.
Norway · Girls44 shared years, 1946–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Grace in 10.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2020, Grace #321 in 1959.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #4, Grace #503.
New Zealand · Girls30 shared years, 1993–2023
Ella held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Grace in 11.
Highest recorded here: Ella #1 in 2007, Grace #5 in 2000.
The order changed in 2020: Ella moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #12 and #11; by 2020 that had become #10 and #17.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ella #9, Grace #18.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Grace in 21.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Grace #1 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #39, Grace #25.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls28 shared years, 1998–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Grace in 15.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2007, Grace #7 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #11, Grace #11.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Grace in 27.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2015, Grace #1 in 2013.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #12, Grace #1.
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 | Grace |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Grace, favour (the English virtue word, used directly as a name). |
| Origin | Germanic, diminutive form | English (virtue name), from Latin gratia |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛl.ə/ | /ˈɡɹeɪs/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Gracie |
| 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 #4 (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 Grace is recorded with a English (virtue name), from Latin gratia origin.
- Ella and Grace both have 2 syllables.
- Ella's recorded meaning differs from Grace'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 Grace 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
Grace
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #393 among girls in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in England and Wales, in 2006 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #11 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls