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