Luella
Girl name · #778 in 2025 · Rare
Luella is currently the #778 girl name in the United States — 349 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1337, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 5,158 girls born in 2025 was named Luella.
Babies named Luella per year. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Luella first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 111 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1918, when 949 girls were named Luella — good for #202 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Luella against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Luella in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Luella is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Luella will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Luella is most common
Geography matters for names, and Luella is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Luella is most common in MN (1.3 per 1,000), WI (1 per 1,000), OR (1 per 1,000), MI (0.6 per 1,000), MO (0.5 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.3 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Luella is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Luella
Statistically, parents drawn to Luella tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Estella, Zella, Louella, Della, and Adella.
EstellaZellaLouellaDellaAdellaNovellaLeonaNella
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Luella | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 349 | #778 |
| 2024 | 334 | #823 |
| 2023 | 286 | #928 |
| 2022 | 262 | #997 |
| 2021 | 288 | #923 |
| 2020 | 262 | #972 |
| 2019 | 282 | #936 |
| 2018 | 278 | #953 |
| 2017 | 294 | #910 |
| 2016 | 206 | #1203 |
| 2015 | 177 | #1337 |
| 2014 | 148 | #1502 |
| 2013 | 122 | #1705 |
| 2012 | 108 | #1859 |
| 2011 | 93 | #2073 |
| 2010 | 103 | #1942 |
| 2009 | 86 | #2270 |
| 2008 | 79 | #2419 |
| 2007 | 53 | #3214 |
| 2006 | 57 | #2978 |
| 2005 | 35 | #4029 |
| 2004 | 32 | #4287 |
| 2003 | 17 | #6576 |
| 2002 | 13 | #7816 |
| 2001 | 9 | #10102 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Luella a popular girl name?
Luella ranked #778 among girls in 2025 with 349 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1337.
When was the name Luella most popular?
Luella peaked in 1918, when 949 American girls received the name (ranked #202 that year). Since 1918 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Luella?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 5,158 newborn American girls was named Luella. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.