Fun Facts About the Name Ela
- More than 2 thousand babies named Ela: U.S. records list 2,846 babies given the name Ela from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ela Mean?
Ela has more than one independent origin, so it has more than one established meaning. In Hebrew the name is אֵלָה (elah), the word for the terebinth, a small hardwood tree of the eastern Mediterranean related to the pistachio; the biblical masculine name Elah comes from this same word. In Turkish, ela is a color word meaning "hazel," used especially of hazel or amber-brown eyes, and it is given as a girl's name in its own right. Separately, in Polish and other Slavic languages, Ela is a short form of Elżbieta, the Slavic form of Elizabeth. In that use Ela is a familiar form of a longer name rather than a name with its own separate etymology.
Ela Name History & Origins
The Hebrew word elah appears in the Bible as a masculine name: Elah son of Baasha, a king of Israel (1 Kings 16), and Elah son of Caleb (1 Chronicles 4:15). The same word also names the Valley of Elah, the setting of the David and Goliath story (1 Samuel 17). The feminine form Ela has been used as a modern Hebrew given name in Israel, where names taken from trees and plants are common.
Turkish ela developed separately, from the everyday word for the hazel color, and is used as a girl's name in Turkey. It has no connection to the Hebrew name.
In Poland and other Slavic-speaking countries, Ela is the usual everyday short form of Elżbieta. It is used both as a nickname and on its own, so many women called Ela have Elżbieta as their full name. Its use there belongs to the long history of Elizabeth and its Slavic forms rather than to the Hebrew or Turkish names.
In English-speaking countries Ela is uncommon. It is a distinct name from the similar-sounding Ella, which comes from a different line of names.
How Popular is the Name Ela?
Ela recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2018. Its best rank was #942 in 1903.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,562 | 135 | 0.0084% |
| 2024 | #1,713 | 118 | 0.0073% |
| 2023 | #1,826 | 110 | 0.0069% |
| 2022 | #1,976 | 99 | 0.0060% |
| 2021 | #1,742 | 118 | 0.0072% |
| 2020 | #1,705 | 119 | 0.0074% |
| 2019 | #1,572 | 136 | 0.0081% |
| 2018 | #1,464 | 150 | 0.0088% |
| 2017 | #1,804 | 115 | 0.0067% |
| 2016 | #1,987 | 100 | 0.0056% |
| 2015 | #2,000 | 99 | 0.0055% |
| 2014 | #1,928 | 104 | 0.0058% |
| 2013 | #1,993 | 98 | 0.0056% |
| 2012 | #1,764 | 117 | 0.0066% |
| 2011 | #1,759 | 116 | 0.0066% |
| 2010 | #1,764 | 117 | 0.0066% |
| 2009 | #2,047 | 100 | 0.0054% |
| 2008 | #2,668 | 69 | 0.0036% |
| 2007 | #2,546 | 73 | 0.0038% |
| 2006 | #2,644 | 68 | 0.0036% |
| 2005 | #2,300 | 78 | 0.0042% |
| 2004 | #3,410 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 2003 | #3,309 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 2002 | #7,961 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #6,148 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2000 | #7,276 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #7,868 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #8,160 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #12,555 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #8,341 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1995 | #12,220 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #10,917 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #9,743 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #9,583 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #9,515 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #9,542 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #9,053 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #10,878 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #10,743 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #8,746 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #9,478 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1972 | #8,626 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #7,068 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #4,985 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #6,629 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #5,604 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1936 | #3,468 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1935 | #3,503 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1932 | #3,671 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1931 | #3,586 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1930 | #2,738 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1929 | #2,985 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1928 | #2,825 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1927 | #3,635 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1926 | #4,454 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #3,449 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1924 | #5,286 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1923 | #2,977 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1922 | #4,601 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1921 | #3,484 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1920 | #2,628 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1919 | #2,693 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1918 | #3,597 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1917 | #3,162 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1916 | #2,405 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1915 | #2,963 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1914 | #2,044 | 12 | 0.0016% |
| 1912 | #2,728 | 6 | 0.0011% |
| 1911 | #2,021 | 7 | 0.0017% |
| 1909 | #1,816 | 7 | 0.0020% |
| 1906 | #1,603 | 7 | 0.0024% |
| 1905 | #1,763 | 6 | 0.0021% |
| 1904 | #1,715 | 6 | 0.0022% |
| 1903 | #942 | 14 | 0.0053% |
| 1902 | #1,244 | 9 | 0.0034% |
| 1901 | #1,535 | 6 | 0.0025% |
| 1900 | #1,617 | 7 | 0.0023% |
| 1899 | #1,668 | 5 | 0.0021% |
| 1898 | #976 | 13 | 0.0050% |
| 1897 | #1,102 | 9 | 0.0038% |
| 1896 | #1,328 | 7 | 0.0029% |
| 1893 | #1,487 | 5 | 0.0023% |
| 1892 | #1,514 | 5 | 0.0024% |
| 1891 | #1,243 | 6 | 0.0032% |
| 1889 | #1,052 | 7 | 0.0039% |
| 1888 | #1,065 | 7 | 0.0039% |
| 1887 | #1,187 | 5 | 0.0034% |
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 Ela 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 desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Ela's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ela's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.