Earla
Feminine
Earla is an English title with a Latin-style feminine ending fastened on. The three letters at the front of it spell three completely different words in English, and none of them is related to either of the others.
How old is the name Earla?
Earla first appears in US birth records in 1912 — 113 years ago. The typical Earla alive today was born around 1942, making them about 83 years old. About 300 people named Earla are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Earla most popular?
Earla peaked in 1933, reaching #1400 nationally. See the whole 1933 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Earla
The ear you hear with is an old Germanic word with cousins across Europe and back into Latin. An ear of corn is a different old Germanic word entirely, about a spike or a point, and the two have simply collided in modern spelling. The ear in earl is a third thing: the Old English eorl, a nobleman, related to a Norse word and to nothing else in the list. Three separate words, one spelling, and English speakers move between them without a flicker of confusion because context does all the work. It is one of the tidier demonstrations that spelling and etymology are different subjects.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The Old English eorl meant a nobleman and became the title. This feminine form is not documented and no reason for it has been recorded, which is ordinary for names built this way.
Pronouncing Earla
UR-luh
Two syllables with the stress in front. There is nothing in it to get wrong.
Nicknames for Earla
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
- 1912
- Most girls named
- 194928 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1400reached in 1933
- Change vs 1968
- 0.0%10 in 1969, from 10
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.
Earlas among us
people named Earla are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Earla sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is read correctly at first sight by nearly everybody.
- Five letters and two syllables: quick to write and easy to remember.
- Ella comes off the back of it as a short form and is thoroughly established.
- It reads as a name of a much older generation, which is either the appeal or the obstacle.
- It will be heard as Erla, Ella or Pearl by people catching it once.
- No origin is documented for the feminine, so the meaning question belongs to the title.
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Earla
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Earlas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Earla are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Earla in 2025?
- Earla is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Earla with classmates?
- Earla will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More E names
The most-given names starting with E, all years combined.
Elizabeth#17 · Emily#34 · Emma#3 · Evelyn#8 · Ella#29 · Eleanor#12 · Erin#833 · Edna#2458
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Earla? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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