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