Ella vs Harper
Ella and Harpercompared 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 2023, Ella was ranked #9 and Harper #5 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #9 and Harper #21 among girls in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #11 and Harper #15 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #12 and Harper #84 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #17 and Harper #54 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #39 and Harper #22 among girls in England and Wales.
Ella and Harper over time
Ella and Harper appear together in 5 published lists, across 78 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Harper in 1.
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 5 of those lists, and Harper 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 moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Harper moved ahead of Ella in England and Wales · Girls — #25 and #27 the year before became #27 and #22.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ella and Harper changed places 6 times in New South Wales, Australia · Girls between 2011 and 2025, ending at #11 and #15.
- Mirrored each other
Over 23 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Harper rose about as far as Ella fell — from #19 and #3262 in 2001 to #39 and #22 in 2024.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Ella #7 in 2022, Harper #7 in 2024.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls23 shared years, 2001–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Harper in 2.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Harper #22 in 2023.
The order changed in 2023: Harper moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #25 and #27; by 2023 that had become #27 and #22.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #39, Harper #22.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls15 shared years, 2011–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Harper in 4.
Highest recorded here: Ella #7 in 2022, Harper #7 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #11, Harper #15.
Republic of Ireland · Girls15 shared years, 2009–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Harper in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #4 in 2013, Harper #53 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #17, Harper #54.
Northern Ireland · Girls13 shared years, 2012–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Harper in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2015, Harper #38 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #12, Harper #84.
New Zealand · Girls12 shared years, 2012–2023
Ella held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Harper in 8.
Highest recorded here: Ella #5 in 2016, Harper #2 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ella #9, Harper #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 | Harper |
|---|---|---|
| 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 English occupational surname for someone who played or made harps, from Old English 'hearpe'. Popularized as a given name partly through author Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. |
| Origin | Germanic, diminutive form | English (occupational surname) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛl.ə/ | /ˈhɑɹ.pəɹ/ |
| 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) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #15 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| 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 Harper is recorded with a English (occupational surname) origin.
- Ella and Harper both have 2 syllables.
- Ella's recorded meaning differs from Harper'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
Harper
Popularity journey
First recorded1999
First recorded at #2425 among boys in England and Wales in 1999 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2012–2023
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New Zealand, in 2017 (recorded 2012–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #15 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls