Ella vs Samantha
Ella and Samanthacompared 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 Samantha #525 among girls in Norway.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2015, Ella was ranked #6 and Samantha #85 among girls in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Ella was ranked #8 and Samantha #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #9 and Samantha #541 among girls in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2013, Ella was ranked #14 and Samantha #84 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #17 and Samantha #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #46 and Samantha #778 among girls in England and Wales.
Ella and Samantha over time
Ella and Samantha appear together in 6 published lists, across 179 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Samantha in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 5 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Samantha reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 6 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1998, Ella moved ahead of Samantha in England and Wales · Girls — #44 and #38 the year before became #38 and #44.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ella and Samantha changed places 8 times in Norway · Girls between 1969 and 2025, ending at #4 and #525.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 22 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Ella and Samantha averaged 30.5 places apart, ending at #6 and #85.
- Longest-running competitions
Ella and Samantha were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #46 and #778.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls46 shared years, 1970–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Samantha in 18.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2007, Samantha #33 in 1986.
The order changed in 1998: Ella moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #176 and #73; by 1998 that had become #94 and #127.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #17, Samantha #885.
Norway · Girls42 shared years, 1969–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 38 of those years, Samantha in 4.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2019, Samantha #298 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #4, Samantha #525.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Samantha in 2.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order changed in 1998: Ella moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #44 and #38; by 1998 that had become #38 and #44.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #46, Samantha #778.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2021
Ella held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Samantha in 4.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2015, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order changed in 2001: Ella moved ahead. In 2000 they stood at #86 and #57; by 2001 that had become #82 and #90.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Ella #8, Samantha #446.
New Zealand · Girls22 shared years, 1993–2015
Ella held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Samantha in 8.
Highest recorded here: Ella #1 in 2007, Samantha #3 in 1993.
The order changed in 2002: Ella moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #12 and #8; by 2002 that had become #7 and #13.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Ella #6, Samantha #85.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls16 shared years, 1998–2013
Ella held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Samantha in 4.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2007, Samantha #8 in 1998.
The order changed in 2002: Ella moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #19 and #18; by 2002 that had become #11 and #27.
Most recent shared year, 2013: Ella #14, Samantha #84.
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 | Samantha |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Likely a feminine adaptation of Samuel, incorporating a suffix possibly derived from Greek 'anthos' ('flower'). Emerged in 18th-century America; boosted to wide popularity by the 1964 television series Bewitched. |
| Origin | Germanic, diminutive form | Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛl.ə/ | /sə.ˈmæn.θə/ |
| 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) | Norway · Girls #525 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 76/100 |
| 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 Samantha is recorded with a Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) origin.
- Ella has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Samantha.
- Ella's recorded meaning differs from Samantha'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 #46 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Samantha
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #79 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2013
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1992 (recorded 1966–2013).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #778 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls