Ella vs Sarah
Ella and Sarahcompared 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 Sarah #115 among girls in Norway.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #9 and Sarah #148 among girls in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2021, Ella was ranked #10 and Sarah #96 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2019, Ella was ranked #12 and Sarah #100 among girls in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #12 and Sarah #75 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ella was ranked #17 and Sarah #66 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #39 and Sarah #130 among girls in England and Wales.
Ella and Sarah over time
Ella and Sarah appear together in 6 published lists, across 211 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Sarah in 1.
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.
Sarah 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 1999, Ella moved ahead of Sarah in England and Wales · Girls — #38 and #27 the year before became #27 and #31.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ella and Sarah changed places 4 times in Norway · Girls between 1960 and 2025, ending at #4 and #115.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 24 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Ella and Sarah averaged 28.6 places apart, ending at #10 and #96.
- Longest-running competitions
Ella and Sarah were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 58 years, from 1960 to 2025, ending at #4 and #115.
List by list
Norway · Girls58 shared years, 1960–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Sarah in 29.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2019, Sarah #35 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #4, Sarah #115.
Republic of Ireland · Girls46 shared years, 1970–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Sarah in 32.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2007, Sarah #1 in 1983.
The order changed in 2012: Ella moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #11 and #6; by 2012 that had become #7 and #10.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #17, Sarah #66.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Sarah in 3.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Sarah #18 in 1996.
The order changed in 1999: Ella moved ahead. In 1998 they stood at #38 and #27; by 1999 that had become #27 and #31.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #39, Sarah #130.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Sarah in 13.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2015, Sarah #5 in 2002.
The order changed in 2010: Ella moved ahead. In 2009 they stood at #18 and #15; by 2010 that had become #18 and #19.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #12, Sarah #75.
New Zealand · Girls26 shared years, 1993–2019
Ella held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Sarah in 8.
Highest recorded here: Ella #1 in 2007, Sarah #2 in 1993.
The order changed in 2002: Ella moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #12 and #9; by 2002 that had become #7 and #9.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Ella #12, Sarah #100.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls24 shared years, 1998–2021
Ella held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Sarah in 6.
Highest recorded here: Ella #2 in 2007, Sarah #3 in 1998.
The order changed in 2004: Ella moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #9 and #6; by 2004 that had become #8 and #11.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Ella #10, Sarah #96.
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 | Sarah |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | From Hebrew, meaning 'lady, princess, noblewoman'. In the Old Testament, Sarah's name was changed from Sarai by God, alongside Abraham's own name change (Genesis 17:15); she is regarded as matriarch of the Jewish people. |
| Origin | Germanic, diminutive form | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛl.ə/ | /ˈsɛɹ.ə/ |
| 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, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #4 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #66 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| 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 is recorded with a Germanic, diminutive form origin, while Sarah is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin.
- Ella and Sarah both have 2 syllables.
- Ella's recorded meaning differs from Sarah'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
Sarah
Popularity journey
First recorded1958
First recorded at #86 among girls in New Zealand in 1958 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Girls
Highest recorded1958–2019
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New Zealand, in 1974 (recorded 1958–2019).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #115 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls