Ella vs Mia
Ella and Miacompared 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 Mia #21 among girls in Norway.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #11 and Mia #5 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Ella was ranked #9 and Mia #13 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #9 and Mia #26 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #17 and Mia #11 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #12 and Mia #20 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #39 and Mia #14 among girls in England and Wales.
Ella and Mia over time
Ella and Mia appear together in 6 published lists, across 205 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Ella reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Mia 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 moved ahead of the other
In 2017, Mia moved ahead of Ella in England and Wales · Girls — #9 and #10 the year before became #9 and #7.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ella and Mia changed places 4 times in New Zealand · Girls between 2001 and 2023, ending at #9 and #13.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Ella and Mia averaged 11.6 places apart, ending at #39 and #14.
- Longest-running competitions
Ella and Mia were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 62 years, from 1947 to 2025, ending at #4 and #21.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Ella #2 in 2007, Mia #2 in 2008.
List by list
Norway · Girls62 shared years, 1947–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Mia in 37.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2019, Mia #8 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #4, Mia #21.
Republic of Ireland · Girls35 shared years, 1987–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Mia in 9.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2007, Mia #6 in 2012.
The order changed in 2021: Mia moved ahead. In 2020 they stood at #7 and #10; by 2021 that had become #10 and #7.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #17, Mia #11.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Mia in 15.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Mia #5 in 2019.
The order changed in 2017: Mia moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #9 and #10; by 2017 that had become #9 and #7.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #39, Mia #14.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls28 shared years, 1998–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Mia in 19.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2007, Mia #2 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #11, Mia #5.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Mia in 2.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2015, Mia #14 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #12, Mia #20.
New Zealand · Girls23 shared years, 2001–2023
Ella held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Mia in 2.
Highest recorded here: Ella #1 in 2007, Mia #7 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ella #9, Mia #13.
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 | Mia |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Directly a diminutive of Maria. |
| Origin | Germanic, diminutive form | Scandinavian/Italian, via Maria |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛl.ə/ | /ˈmiːə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| 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) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #5 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| 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 is recorded with a Germanic, diminutive form origin, while Mia is recorded with a Scandinavian/Italian, via Maria origin.
- Ella has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Mia.
- Ella's recorded meaning differs from Mia's — see the table above for each.
- 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
Mia
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #357 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2008 (recorded 1997–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #5 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls