What does the name ELLA mean?

WhatFor

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 1:01 pm

Highstrung wrote:

Some sources say the name comes from an old German word alia, meaning "all," or alja meaning "other," while others point to modern Hebrew, where Ella means "goddess," and also "terebinth tree." And Ella is a Spanish personal pronoun meaning "she" and "her." Ella is most commonly pronounced "el-luh."

Two lls in Spanish make the "y" sound. It's not the same thing at all.

Lukshen

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 1:14 pm

Pardon my take.. but why does a name need to have a meaning? Why can’t it just be a name? Especially if you’re naming after someone, isn’t that the meaningful part?

amother

Gold

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 1:14 pm

amother OP wrote:

Thanks everybody for replying. In other words Ella has no meaning whatsoever.
I will not name my baby a meaningless name.

Oh no. I mean do what you want but in Hebrew, as someone mentioned above, is a Terebinth Tree. There is a whole עמק האלה near Beit Shemesh where these trees grow. And a community in Ramat Beit Shemesh called גני האלה.
The עמק is very beautiful. There are rows upon rows of Ella trees.

Rubber Ducky

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 1:21 pm

The French "elle" and the the Spanish "ella" both mean "she" — they are the same.

In French you pronounce the double L as an L. In some Spanish-speaking places the the double L is pronounced as a J rather than a Y.

But I think the most likely etymology is that Ella is a shortened form of Elisheva, Ariella, or similar.

amother

Feverfew

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 1:28 pm

amother Lightcoral wrote:

Ella is a German Yiddish name. Why would you punish your grandmother by not naming after her if she had a Yiddish instead of a Biblical name? I could see if it was one of those old fashioned hard to pronounce names that you wouldn’t want to saddle a child with, but this one’s pretty and not a name anyone would mispronounce or make fun of. I also don’t see why a simple four letter name with two short syllables needs a nickname. Yerachmiel Zecharia Leibush needs a nickname. Ella doesn’t. Just my two cents.

Literally was thinking the same thing

Iymnok

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 1:38 pm

Those saying it means “goddess” on modern Hebrew, that’s taking a name of Hashem and feminizing it into a new thing. Recognizing that would border on Avoda Zara. I’d want to stay as far from that as possible. Even if it has a nice sound.

amother

Sage

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 1:41 pm

I always thought it was an English name.
For some reason a lot of Mexicans have this name.
It is also the name of a company that manufactures birth control.
Are you sure this was your grandmothers Jewish name?

zaq

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 4:04 pm

amother Violet wrote:

Wasn’t one of the daughters in All of a kind Family named Ella?

Yes. Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family was the last of the All-of-a-Kind family series.

amother

Blueberry

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 4:07 pm

Iymnok wrote:

So its a no for Ariella, Gabriella, Daniella?

zaq

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 4:08 pm

WhatFor wrote:

Two lls in Spanish make the "y" sound. It's not the same thing at all.

Depending on where you're from, the "ll" in Spanish is pronounced like the the ly in halyard, the y in yellow, the j in judge, or the s in pleasure.

amother

Mustard

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 4:15 pm

Isn't there a place in Israel called the Ella Valley? Where Dovid Hamelech fought Golyas?
I think its a beautiful name.

amother

NeonPink

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 4:19 pm

I don't know what it means but my friend named her daughter Ella, after a grandmother. They gave her a middle name that's from Tanach so they could honor the grandmother and also have a name with a stronger mekor. A name like "Bella Rochel" type (that's not the actual name) - she goes by Ella but her name for davening is "Bella Rochel". They consulted with a gadol about it. Best thing to do is ask daas Torah so you'll have peace of mind.

amother

Heather

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 4:21 pm

amother OP wrote:

Thanks everybody for replying. In other words Ella has no meaning whatsoever.
I will not name my baby a meaningless name.

Not true. Ella's in Hebrew is a tree. (Tamarind tree?)

amother

Zinnia

Mon, Jun 05 2023, 4:23 pm

I have an Ella as a nickname for one of the other longer names stated above. She is in a very right wing BY school and no one blinks.
It happens to also be a Yiddish name. I have a friends with tons of Ellas in her family tricks back for generations bAnd it is a certain tree found in Israel. Emek Helah is where BNY camped when dovid and golias fought and is named after the tree that’s found there.

amother

Hotpink

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 1:21 am

Highstrung wrote:

According to Wikipedia Ella means Goddess in Modern Hebrew .

It is also so kind of tree in Hebrew. (Saw that somewhere else)

Correct, it's a type of free in Hebrew.

salt

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 4:15 am

amother Bellflower wrote:

Ayla is a type of tree referenced in TaNaCH. Ella would be defined as ‘rather’ or ‘except.’ It’s not a person’s name in TaNaCH.

אלא is rather or except.

אלה is a type of tree - often used as a girl's name in Israel.

אלה was also the 4th king of Israel - Ela ben Basha.

amother

Nemesia

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 4:25 am

Plenty of names have no meaning. It's nice to name for a relative, and it's also nice to use a name from Tanach. Do whatever suits you.

LovesHashem

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 4:27 am

salt wrote:

אלא is rather or except.

אלה is a type of tree - often used as a girl's name in Israel.

אלה was also the 4th king of Israel - Ela ben Basha.

We had women as kings? I feel so uneducated right now.

WitchKitty

Tue, Jun 06 2023, 4:32 am

LovesHashem wrote:

We had women as kings? I feel so uneducated right now.

אלה בן בעשא Was a man.