Joella
Feminine · “the Lord is God”
Joella is a feminine built on Joel, a Hebrew name that is a complete sentence: the Lord is God. It was in real American use in the nineteenth century.
How old is the name Joella?
Joella was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Joella alive today was born around 1968, making them about 57 years old. About 3,200 people named Joella are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Joella most popular?
Joella peaked in 1880, reaching #738 nationally. Today it ranks #3517, 2,779 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Yoel to Joella
The story of Joella
Joel is one of the twelve minor prophets, and his short book contains the passage about the outpouring of the spirit that Acts quotes at Pentecost. The name entered English use after the Reformation and was steadily used in America. Feminine forms were made in the nineteenth century by the ordinary American habit of adding -a or -ella to a men's name, giving Joella, Joelle and Joetta.
Meaning
the Lord is God
From Hebrew Yoel, joining a shortened form of the divine name to the ordinary word for God — a statement rather than a description, and the same one made in reverse by Elijah.
How the name formed
- Yoel
- Joel
- Joella
Related forms: Joëlle · Yoela · Joelle
Pronouncing Joella
joh-EL-ah
Three syllables with the stress in the middle. French Joëlle has two and stresses the second.
Nicknames for Joella
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
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 201873 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #738reached in 1880
- Change vs 2023
- +2.4%43 in 2025, from 42
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.
Joella in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Joëlle in French — related form
- Yoela in Hebrew — same name
- Joelle in English — spelling variant
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Ohio, New York.
Joellas among us
people named Joella are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 37,378 born in 2025 was named Joella
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
Joella 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
Where Joella is headed
Joella should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Joella beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Joella in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning that forms a complete sentence.
- Jo and Ella are both complete names in their own right.
- Genuine nineteenth-century American use, so it is a revival rather than an invention.
- Joelle is the more common modern form and will be assumed.
- Jo is shared with a great many names and will not distinguish her.
- It reads as a name of a particular era to older Americans.
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What they receive
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Joella
Feminine · #3517 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Joellas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,200 people named Joella are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Joella in 2025?
- Joella ranks #3517 among US girl names in 2025, with 43 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Joella?
- About 1 in every 37,378 US girls born in 2025 was named Joella — 43 in all.
- Will my child share the name Joella with classmates?
- Joella will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Joella
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Amada#3517 · Afton#3517 · Allura#3517 · Jaina#3517 · Hallee#3517 · Katara#3517 · Samora#3517 · Maida#3517
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Joella? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Joella and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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