Ella vs Inga
Ella and Ingacompared 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 Inga #210 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2016, Ella was ranked #11 and Inga #750 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2022, Ella was ranked #25 and Inga #2888 among girls in England and Wales.
Ella and Inga over time
Ella and Inga appear together in 2 published lists, across 94 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Inga reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ella and Inga changed places 10 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #4 and #210.
- Longest-running competitions
Ella and Inga were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 74 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #4 and #210.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Ella #6 in 2015, Inga #1961 in 2015.
- Started together, ended far apart
In 1945 they stood at #137 and #144 in Norway · Girls, 7 places apart; by 2025 they were #4 and #210.
List by list
Norway · Girls74 shared years, 1945–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 31 of those years, Inga in 43.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2019, Inga #125 in 1947.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #4, Inga #210.
England and Wales · Girls20 shared years, 2000–2022
Ella held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Inga in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Inga #1961 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Ella #25, Inga #2888.
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 | Inga |
|---|---|---|
| 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 #210 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| 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 has a recorded origin (Germanic, diminutive form); Inga does not have one recorded yet.
- Ella and Inga both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ella; Inga 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
Inga
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #144 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #117 among girls in Norway, in 1980 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #210 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls