Ella vs Isabel
Ella and Isabelcompared 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 Isabel #320 among girls in Norway.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #9 and Isabel #431 among girls in Scotland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2020, Ella was ranked #10 and Isabel #90 among girls in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #12 and Isabel #253 among girls in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2020, Ella was ranked #14 and Isabel #94 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #17 and Isabel #127 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #39 and Isabel #169 among girls in England and Wales.
Ella and Isabel over time
Ella and Isabel appear together in 6 published lists, across 178 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Isabel 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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 3 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 Isabel changed places 10 times in Norway · Girls between 1953 and 2025, ending at #4 and #320.
- Longest-running competitions
Ella and Isabel were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 61 years, from 1953 to 2025, ending at #4 and #320.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Ella #2 in 2007, Isabel #56 in 2008.
List by list
Norway · Girls61 shared years, 1953–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 37 of those years, Isabel in 24.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2019, Isabel #81 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #4, Isabel #320.
Republic of Ireland · Girls43 shared years, 1970–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 37 of those years, Isabel in 6.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2007, Isabel #59 in 2008.
The order changed in 1993: Ella moved ahead. In 1992 they stood at #456 and #269; by 1993 that had become #234 and #356.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #17, Isabel #127.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Isabel in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Isabel #45 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #39, Isabel #169.
Northern Ireland · Girls20 shared years, 2001–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Isabel in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2015, Isabel #180 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #12, Isabel #253.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls14 shared years, 2006–2020
Ella held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Isabel in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2007, Isabel #56 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Ella #14, Isabel #94.
New Zealand · Girls11 shared years, 2004–2020
Ella held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Isabel in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #1 in 2007, Isabel #64 in 2009.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2020: Ella #10, Isabel #90.
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 | Isabel |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| 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, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #4 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #127 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| 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 has a recorded origin (Germanic, diminutive form); Isabel does not have one recorded yet.
- Ella has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Isabel.
- A meaning is recorded for Ella; Isabel doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, 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
Isabel
Popularity journey
First recorded1953
First recorded at #422 among girls in Norway in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #45 among girls in England and Wales, in 2006 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #320 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls