Ella
Pronunciation/ˈɛlə/ EL
GenderFemale
Origin
Language(s)Greek, Norman, Hebrew
Meaningbeautiful, fairy Maiden, Goddess
Other names
Related namesElah, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Elle, Ellen, Ellie, Alla, Ellika, Ellit, Illy, Elat, Illa, Elia, Aelia

Ella is a personal name most often used as a feminine given name, but also as a surname, especially in Australia. In Greek mythology, Ella (Greek: Ἕλλα) was the daughter of Athamas and Nephele.[1] The name may be a cognate with Hellas (Greek: Ἑλλάς), the Greek name for Greece, which is said to have originally been the name of the region around Dodona.[2]

Another source indicates that Ella is a Norman version of the Germanic short name Alia, which was short for a variety of German names with the element ali-, meaning "other".[3] It is also a common short name for names starting with El-, such as Eleanor, Elizabeth, Elle, Ellen, Elaine, Ellie, or Eloise.

The Hebrew word Ella (אלה) has two meanings:

In English-speaking countries, Ella was popular during the Victorian era and again became popular in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Elsewhere, the name is popular in County Kerry, Ireland,[4] and Israel.[5]

People with the given name

People with the surname

Fictional characters

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Ἕλλα, William J. Slater, Lexicon to Pindar, on Perseus
  2. ^ Ἑλλάς, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
  3. ^ Behind the Name: Name Search
  4. ^ Behind the Name: Popularity for Ella
  5. ^ (Israel Hayom): Popular names by cities