Ella has parallel derivations, first as the Norman variation of the Germanic Alia—itself a nickname for names containing the element ali. It’s also a Hebrew name, referring to a tree in the pistachio family or in modern Hebrew, "goddess." In English speaking countries and Scandinavia, Ella developed as a diminutive for names beginning with El-, such as Eleanor and Elizabeth.Following in the path of Emma and Isabella/Bella, Ella shot up the charts in the new millennium: it rose from #265 in 2000 to a high of #12 in 2012 and has stayed just outside the US Top 10, making it one of the most popular girl names starting with E, which includes former #1 Emma, longtime favorites Emily and Elizabeth, and trendy short forms Ellie and Evie.
Ella has long been a fave of the glitterati—including John Travolta, Warren Beatty, Ben Stiller, Eric Clapton, Jeff Gordon, Ioan Gruffudd, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Wahlberg.
Iconic singer Ella Fitzgerald adds a jazzy edge. One other appeal of Ella: It sounds both vintage and modern at the same time. Although it hadn't been used much for a few generation and so sounds fresh, there are an awful lot of little girls named Ella running around—along with those called Ellie and Bella. So while it has much to recommend it, don't say we didn't warn you about Ella Enchanted's popularity.
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