Aella
A feminine name derived from Old English meaning "whirlwind" or "storm wind".
Name Census estimates that about 585 living Americans carry the first name Aella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Aella today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aella births was 2023 (104 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aella. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
585
~ 1 in 585,905 Americans
Peak year
2023
104 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,111
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Aella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aella from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 344 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aella by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aellas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Aella, while Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aella
The name Aella has its origins in Old English and Anglo-Saxon cultures, dating back to the 5th to 11th centuries. It is derived from the Old English word "ael," which means "whirlwind" or "fire." The name was initially used for both males and females, but it became more commonly associated with men over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aella can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record of the Anglo-Saxon people. It mentions Aella, the King of Sussex, who ruled from 488 to 514 AD. He is known for his battles against the invading Saxons and for establishing the Kingdom of Sussex.
Another notable figure named Aella was Aella of Northumbria, a 6th-century king who ruled the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria from 559 to 588 AD. He is remembered for his conflicts with the neighboring kingdoms and his efforts to consolidate power in the region.
In the 9th century, Aella was the name of a Northumbrian prince who was killed during the Viking invasions of England. His death is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon poem "The Battle of Brunanburh," which describes the conflict between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings.
During the Middle Ages, the name Aella was relatively uncommon, but it resurfaced in the 16th century with the birth of Aella Alen (c. 1560-1637), an English mathematician and scholar. She is known for her work on deciphering ancient languages and her contributions to the study of mathematics.
In more recent history, Aella was the name of Aella Edzard (1793-1852), a German lawyer and historian. He is best known for his work on the history of East Frisia, a region in northwestern Germany, and his contributions to the study of local dialects and folklore.
While the name Aella is not as common today as it once was, it has retained its historical significance and cultural relevance, particularly in regions with Anglo-Saxon roots or influences.
People
Aella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aella as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 585 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aella going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 585,905 US residents.
Is Aella a common name?
We classify Aella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 589 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aella most popular?
The single biggest year for Aella was 2023, when 104 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aella is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Aella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aella in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.