Ella vs Sylvia
Ella and Sylviacompared 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 Sylvia #529 among girls in Norway.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #9 and Sylvia #541 among girls in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #14 and Sylvia #898 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ella was ranked #39 and Sylvia #625 among girls in England and Wales.
Ella and Sylvia over time
Ella and Sylvia appear together in 3 published lists, across 122 years of shared records. Ella held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Sylvia 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.
Sylvia reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ella and Sylvia changed places 8 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #4 and #529.
- Longest-running competitions
Ella and Sylvia were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 56 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #4 and #529.
List by list
Norway · Girls56 shared years, 1945–2025
Ella held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Sylvia in 21.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2020, Sylvia #156 in 1975.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ella #4, Sylvia #529.
Republic of Ireland · Girls37 shared years, 1970–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Sylvia in 13.
Highest recorded here: Ella #3 in 2007, Sylvia #125 in 1970.
The order changed in 1993: Ella moved ahead. In 1992 they stood at #456 and #391; by 1993 that had become #234 and #385.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #14, Sylvia #898.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ella held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Sylvia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ella #6 in 2015, Sylvia #461 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ella #39, Sylvia #625.
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 | Sylvia |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #4 (2025) | Norway · Girls #529 (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); Sylvia does not have one recorded yet.
- Ella and Sylvia both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Ella; Sylvia doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
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
Sylvia
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #194 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2024
Highest recorded position: #111 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1972 (recorded 1964–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #529 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls