| Alice | Ella | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Noble | All; fairy maiden |
| Origin | Germanic | Germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | AL-iss | EL-uh |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1921 (11,955) | 2010 (9,884) |
| In 2025 | 3,547 | 5,831 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alice | Ella |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 20,743 | 37,920 |
| 2010s | 30,636 | 85,922 |
| 2000s | 8,271 | 67,544 |
| 1990s | 6,466 | 3,897 |
| 1980s | 7,330 | 1,576 |
| 1970s | 11,132 | 2,096 |
| 1960s | 26,954 | 5,176 |
| 1950s | 52,074 | 11,038 |
| 1940s | 72,392 | 15,977 |
| 1930s | 78,968 | 19,962 |
| 1920s | 110,526 | 29,521 |
| 1910s | 85,866 | 24,913 |
| 1900s | 35,232 | 14,763 |
| 1890s | 24,415 | 17,072 |
| 1880s | 17,142 | 13,936 |
Alice comes from the Old French Aalis, a short form of Adelais (Adelaide), from Germanic elements meaning “noble.” Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland fixed it in the imagination.
From a Germanic root meaning “all” or “other,” and also read in Norman use as “fairy maiden.”
Ella is more popular than Alice today: about 5,831 US babies were given the name Ella in 2025, compared with 3,547 named Alice.
Alice means Noble (Germanic origin), while Ella means All; fairy maiden (Germanic origin).
In US records, Alice first appears in 1880 and Ella in 1880, so Alice has the longer recorded history.