| Gertrude | Ella | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Spear of strength | All; fairy maiden |
| Origin | germanic | Germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | GUR-trood | EL-uh |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1917 (6,300) | 2010 (9,884) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 5,831 |
| Trend | Vintage | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Gertrude | Ella |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 171 | 37,920 |
| 2010s | 236 | 85,922 |
| 2000s | 135 | 67,544 |
| 1990s | 102 | 3,897 |
| 1980s | 188 | 1,576 |
| 1970s | 380 | 2,096 |
| 1960s | 1,250 | 5,176 |
| 1950s | 3,936 | 11,038 |
| 1940s | 7,936 | 15,977 |
| 1930s | 16,137 | 19,962 |
| 1920s | 42,459 | 29,521 |
| 1910s | 49,565 | 24,913 |
| 1900s | 23,607 | 14,763 |
| 1890s | 19,898 | 17,072 |
| 1880s | 11,100 | 13,936 |
From Germanic 'ger' (spear) and 'thrud' (strength), so 'strong spear'. The 'spear' element is a weapon of war rather than 'warrior' outright, but the martial sense is well established.
From a Germanic root meaning “all” or “other,” and also read in Norman use as “fairy maiden.”
Ella is more popular than Gertrude today: about 5,831 US babies were given the name Ella in 2025, compared with 0 named Gertrude.
Gertrude means Spear of strength (germanic origin), while Ella means All; fairy maiden (Germanic origin).
In US records, Gertrude first appears in 0 and Ella in 1880, so Gertrude has the longer recorded history.