Ella vs Hilda
Ella and Hildacompared 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 Hilda #471 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #39 and Hilda #3318 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 1986, Ella was ranked #356 and Hilda #521 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Ella and Hilda over time
Ella and Hilda appear together in 2 published lists, across 65 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Hilda in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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 Hilda changed places 4 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #4 and #471.
- Mirrored each other
Over 42 shared years in Norway · Girls, Ella rose about as far as Hilda fell — from #137 and #214 in 1945 to #4 and #471 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Ella and Hilda were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 42 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #4 and #471.
List by list
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1945–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 40 of those years, Hilda in 2.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2019, Hilda #207 in 1949.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #4, Hilda #471.
England and Wales · Girls23 shared years, 1996–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Hilda in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Hilda #1849 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #39, Hilda #3318.
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 | Hilda |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #4 (2025) | Norway · Girls #471 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ella has a recorded origin (Germanic, diminutive form); Hilda does not have one recorded yet.
- Ella and Hilda both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ella; Hilda doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, 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
Hilda
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #214 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–1986
Highest recorded position: #160 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1970 (recorded 1964–1986).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #471 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls