Fun Facts About the Name Earla
- 742 babies named Earla: U.S. records list 742 babies given the name Earla from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Earla Mean?
Earla is best explained as a feminine form of the English name Earl, created by adding the feminine ending -a. Earl comes from the Old English word eorl, which meant a warrior or a man of noble rank; its Old Norse relative was jarl. The literal sense of the root is masculine - "nobleman" or "warrior" - so the customary reading of Earla as a girl's name is "noblewoman." A second possibility is that some spellings of Earla stand for Erla, a separate feminine name used in Iceland and the Faroe Islands; that name has its own history and should not be merged automatically with the English Earla.
Earla Name History & Origins
The word behind the name is Old English eorl, which in early use described a warrior or a man of high standing rather than a fixed office. Its Old Norse counterpart jarl had a similar sense, and after the Scandinavian settlements and the Danish kings of the eleventh century, jarl shaped English usage: "earl" replaced the older title "ealdorman" as the term for a leading nobleman. English later formed the surname Earl from that word, and Earl also became a given name in the English-speaking world.
Earla follows the familiar pattern in which an English male name takes a final -a to make a feminine name, but it has never been common. Because it is rare, the record of its use as a given name is thin, and it is often hard to tell whether a particular bearer's name was meant as a feminine form of Earl or as a form of Erla. The two possibilities are usually treated together only because they sound alike, not because they share a proven origin.
How Popular is the Name Earla?
Earla has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1949. Its best rank was #1,413 in 1933.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | #4,802 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #4,575 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1967 | #7,064 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #4,988 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1964 | #4,719 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #5,475 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #5,446 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #3,837 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1960 | #3,756 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1959 | #5,178 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #5,036 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #4,638 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1956 | #3,088 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1955 | #2,868 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1954 | #2,924 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1953 | #2,722 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1952 | #2,847 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1951 | #2,983 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1950 | #2,016 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1949 | #1,818 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1948 | #3,015 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1947 | #2,216 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1946 | #1,978 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1945 | #2,088 | 17 | 0.0013% |
| 1944 | #2,049 | 18 | 0.0014% |
| 1943 | #1,915 | 21 | 0.0015% |
| 1942 | #2,065 | 18 | 0.0013% |
| 1941 | #2,719 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1940 | #2,129 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1939 | #2,061 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1938 | #2,043 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1937 | #2,480 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1936 | #1,968 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1935 | #2,339 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1934 | #1,855 | 18 | 0.0017% |
| 1933 | #1,413 | 27 | 0.0027% |
| 1932 | #2,270 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1931 | #2,462 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1929 | #2,473 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1928 | #3,514 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #2,044 | 19 | 0.0016% |
| 1926 | #1,738 | 24 | 0.0020% |
| 1925 | #2,309 | 16 | 0.0013% |
| 1924 | #2,234 | 17 | 0.0014% |
| 1923 | #2,623 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1922 | #3,453 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1921 | #2,315 | 16 | 0.0013% |
| 1920 | #2,962 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1918 | #2,560 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1917 | #3,160 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1916 | #2,710 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1915 | #3,207 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1914 | #2,711 | 8 | 0.0011% |
| 1912 | #2,725 | 6 | 0.0011% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Earla Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are fine when in harmony but changeable when in discord, because many of your best qualities are then reversed. You are entertaining but may be impulsive. Freedom is a necessity, and you find it difficult to settle down. Your versatility results in many changes, and often brings travel. Your fine intellect is capable of high honors if applied seriously. You are capable of inspired thinking applied to material things. You can be restless, changeable, and very sexy. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Earla's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Earla's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.