Armella
Feminine · “bear prince”
Armella has a bear in it. The Breton name Armel joins the word for a bear to the word for a prince or chief, and it belonged to a sixth-century saint who is still remembered in Brittany — one of the wandering Welsh and Cornish monks who crossed the channel and gave that peninsula its Celtic character. The same bear opens Arthur, which is the more famous case of the same word.
How old is the name Armella?
Armella first appears in US birth records in 1899 — 126 years ago. The typical Armella alive today was born around 1923, making them about 102 years old. Fewer than a hundred people named Armella are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
When was the name Armella most popular?
Armella peaked in 1914, reaching #1080 nationally. Today it ranks #13208, 12,128 places below that high. See the whole 1914 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Arthmael to Armella
The story of Armella
Armel was one of the Britons who left the island for Armorica in the sixth century, and Brittany kept his name in its churches and villages. French made Armelle for daughters, and it stayed a distinctly Breton choice — the sort of name that says which part of France a family comes from. American records carry Armella from the turn of the twentieth century, arriving through French-speaking Catholic families and through the general Victorian taste for names ending in -ella. It has been rare here throughout, and it belongs to an older generation.
Meaning
bear prince
From the Breton arzh, a bear, and mael, a prince or chief. Bear names were common across the Celtic and Germanic worlds — the animal was the largest thing in the forest, and calling a man one was the highest compliment available. Arthur is generally connected to the same first element, though its own derivation is argued.
How the name formed
- Arthmael
- Armel
- Armelle
- Armella
Related forms: Armelle · Arzhel · Armella
Pronouncing Armella
ar-MELL-uh
Three syllables, stress in the middle, which the doubled l signals. The French Armelle has two syllables with the weight at the back; the American version adds one and keeps the emphasis where it was.
Nicknames for Armella
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1899
- Most girls named
- 192640 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1080reached in 1914
- Change vs 2024
- +20.0%6 in 2025, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Armella in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Armelle in French — same name
- Arzhel in Breton — same name
- Armella in Italian — same name
Armellas among us
Fewer than a hundred people named Armella are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
About 1 girl in 267,878 born in 2025 was named Armella
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Armella sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Armella beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Armella in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It has a documented Breton saint behind it and a meaning that is concrete and memorable.
- Ella sits inside it and is currently one of the most-used names in the country, so the short form needs no explanation.
- Three open syllables sit well after almost any surname.
- It is genuinely rare, and a child will not meet another.
- Armelle is the French spelling and will be written by anyone from that tradition.
- It belongs to an older American generation and carries that flavor.
- It is easily confused with Armilla, Ormella and Marcella, none of which is related.
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Armella
Feminine · #13208 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Armellas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. Fewer than a hundred people named Armella are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
- How popular is the name Armella in 2025?
- Armella ranks #13208 among US girl names in 2025, with 6 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Armella?
- About 1 in every 267,878 US girls born in 2025 was named Armella — 6 in all.
- Will my child share the name Armella with classmates?
- Armella will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Armella
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
John#13208 · Vinnie#13208 · Margery#13208 · Jossie#13208 · Tressa#13208 · Erie#13208 · Bernadine#13208 · Euna#13208
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Armella? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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