| Amelia | Ella | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Industrious, striving | All; fairy maiden |
| Origin | Germanic | Germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | uh-MEEL-yuh | EL-uh |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2021 (13,041) | 2010 (9,884) |
| In 2025 | 12,699 | 5,831 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Amelia | Ella |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 76,108 | 37,920 |
| 2010s | 93,850 | 85,922 |
| 2000s | 33,292 | 67,544 |
| 1990s | 13,559 | 3,897 |
| 1980s | 9,740 | 1,576 |
| 1970s | 5,321 | 2,096 |
| 1960s | 4,824 | 5,176 |
| 1950s | 5,189 | 11,038 |
| 1940s | 5,324 | 15,977 |
| 1930s | 5,958 | 19,962 |
| 1920s | 8,787 | 29,521 |
| 1910s | 8,832 | 24,913 |
| 1900s | 3,664 | 14,763 |
| 1890s | 3,725 | 17,072 |
| 1880s | 2,957 | 13,936 |
Amelia comes from the Germanic amal, meaning “work” in the sense of industriousness and striving. It is sometimes blended with the Latin-rooted Emilia.
From a Germanic root meaning “all” or “other,” and also read in Norman use as “fairy maiden.”
Amelia is more popular than Ella today: about 12,699 US babies were given the name Amelia in 2025, compared with 5,831 named Ella.
Amelia means Industrious, striving (Germanic origin), while Ella means All; fairy maiden (Germanic origin).
In US records, Amelia first appears in 1880 and Ella in 1880, so Amelia has the longer recorded history.