Fun Facts About the Name Ornella
- 240 babies named Ornella: U.S. records list 240 babies given the name Ornella from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ornella Mean?
Ornella is an Italian feminine name, formed with the diminutive ending -ella. One common explanation connects its base to the Italian verb ornare ("to adorn"), which comes from Latin ornare, giving the sense "little adorned one" or "small ornament." A competing explanation links the name to the Italian orno, the flowering ash tree (Fraxinus ornus) whose sap yields manna, giving the sense "little ash tree." Both readings depend on the same diminutive suffix, and no early record clearly settles which word the name was built on, so the exact origin is best described as uncertain.
Ornella Name History & Origins
Ornella belongs to a broad group of Italian feminine names ending in -ella, a suffix that marks smallness or affection. Names of this kind became common in Italy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, frequently built on a noun or on a shorter given name. The shorter form Orna is itself used as an Italian given name, and Ornella works as its endearing diminutive; the two appear alongside each other.
The name is mainly Italian and is found among Italian speakers and their descendants elsewhere. The Italian singer Ornella Vanoni, born in 1934, is a well-known bearer and shows the name in established use in Italy by the early twentieth century; the name's subsequent profile is not attributable to any single person.
How Popular is the Name Ornella?
Ornella 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 2013. Its best rank was #7,846 in 1968.
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 | #14,487 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #13,077 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #11,922 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #14,857 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2021 | #9,396 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #11,859 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #17,357 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #10,368 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #10,518 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #15,754 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #11,612 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2014 | #14,205 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #9,476 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #13,146 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #14,466 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #13,165 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #13,377 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #15,080 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #13,303 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #11,586 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #11,099 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #17,430 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #9,916 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1999 | #13,970 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #13,670 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #15,211 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #11,422 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #12,963 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #14,881 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #14,733 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #12,460 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #8,923 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #7,846 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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 Ornella Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are patient, persevering and strong willed. You are a good student, absorbing knowledge easily and retaining it well. You are either a saint or a sinner. You tend to hold things inside and suffer in silence. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Ornella's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ornella's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.