Ella vs Kayla
Ella and Kaylacompared 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 2014, Ella was ranked #7 and Kayla #89 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #9 and Kayla #171 among girls in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #12 and Kayla #253 among girls in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2012, Ella was ranked #14 and Kayla #83 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #17 and Kayla #130 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #39 and Kayla #332 among girls in England and Wales.
Ella and Kayla over time
Ella and Kayla appear together in 5 published lists, across 125 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Kayla in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Kayla reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Ella in 1. 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 took the other's place near the top
In New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Ella moved into the top 50 at #29 in 2000 as Kayla fell out of it to #56, having been #44 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2000, Ella moved ahead of Kayla in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #52 and #44 the year before became #29 and #56.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 21 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Ella and Kayla averaged 43.7 places apart, ending at #7 and #89.
- Longest-running competitions
Ella and Kayla were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 33 years, from 1991 to 2025, ending at #17 and #130.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls33 shared years, 1991–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 32 of those years, Kayla in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2007, Kayla #21 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #17, Kayla #130.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Kayla in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Kayla #98 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #39, Kayla #332.
Northern Ireland · Girls27 shared years, 1998–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Kayla in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2015, Kayla #40 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #12, Kayla #253.
New Zealand · Girls21 shared years, 1993–2014
Ella held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Kayla in 3.
Highest recorded here: Ella #1 in 2007, Kayla #23 in 1995.
The order changed in 1997: Ella moved ahead. In 1996 they stood at #50 and #38; by 1997 that had become #36 and #49.
Most recent shared year, 2014: Ella #7, Kayla #89.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls15 shared years, 1998–2012
Ella held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Kayla in 2.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2007, Kayla #38 in 2001.
The order changed in 2000: Ella moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #52 and #44; by 2000 that had become #29 and #56.
Most recent shared year, 2012: Ella #14, Kayla #83.
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 | Kayla |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #4 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #130 (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); Kayla does not have one recorded yet.
- Ella and Kayla both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ella; Kayla doesn't have one written yet.
- 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
Kayla
Popularity journey
First recorded1985
First recorded at #68 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1985 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1986–2014
Highest recorded position: #18 among girls in New Zealand, in 1992 (recorded 1986–2014).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #130 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls