Ella vs Gun
Ella and Guncompared 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 1975, Ella was ranked #593 and Gun #366 among girls in Norway.
Ella and Gun over time
Ella and Gun appear together in 1 published list, across 26 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Gun 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 Gun 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
Ella and Gun changed places 7 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 1975, ending at #593 and #366.
List by list
Norway · Girls26 shared years, 1945–1975
Ella held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Gun in 7.
Highest recorded here: Ella #123 in 1946, Gun #196 in 1962.
The order changed in 1975: Gun moved ahead. In 1974 they stood at #351 and #575; by 1975 that had become #593 and #366.
Most recent shared year, 1975: Ella #593, Gun #366.
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 | Gun |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| 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. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Germanic, diminutive form | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛl.ə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #4 (2025) | Norway · Girls #366 (1975) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ella has a recorded origin (Germanic, diminutive form); Gun does not have one recorded yet.
- Ella has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Gun.
- A meaning is recorded for Ella; Gun doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
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
Gun
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #285 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–1975
Highest recorded position: #196 among girls in Norway, in 1962 (recorded 1945–1975).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1975
Most recently recorded at #366 among girls in Norway, in 1975.
Norway · Girls