Joella vs Joellen
American parents have registered 5,399 Joellens since 1880, against 4,204 Joellas. But in 2025 it was Joella that was commoner, 43 babies to 5.
Babies given each name, 1880–2025
Joella Joellen
Each line is every baby given the name that year, girls and boys added together — the only count that means the same thing for both names. A line breaks where the name fell below five babies in a year — the point at which the SSA stops publishing it — rather than being drawn through a figure nobody published. A single published year in a gap shows as a dot.
Who was ahead
Of the 123 years in which either name was published, Joella for 63 years and Joellen for 60 years. The lead changed hands 14 times.
- 1880–1932 Joella ahead, apart from one short spell
- 1933–1995 Joellen ahead, apart from 3 short spells
- 1998–2025 Joella ahead
8 shorter spells of a year or two are folded into the spans above rather than listed separately.
Side by side
| Joella | Joellen | |
|---|---|---|
| Total US births | 4,204 | 5,399 |
| Most in one year | 78 | 167 |
| Babies in 2025 | 43 | 5 |
| Estimated living today | 3,100 | 4,200 |
| Median age today | 41 | 62 |
| Peak year | 2016 | 1960 |
| Best rank | 2,385th girls | 796th girls |
| Rank in 2025 | 3,517th | 14,942nd |
| First recorded | 1880 | 1922 |
| Girls / boys | 4,204 / 0 | 5,399 / 0 |
A rank is a position within one sex’s list for one year, so the two rank rows are not subtracted from one another and the winning column is not marked on them. The living figure is a life-table estimate, not a count.
Which name is older
Half of the Joellens alive today are over 62; half the Joellas are over 41. That is 21 years between them: two names in use at the same time, worn by two different generations.
Where each one is strongest
- Joella Oklahoma (5.8×), Texas (2.5×), California (2.3×)
- Joellen Iowa (4.0×), Indiana (3.9×), Ohio (3.0×)
How much commoner the name is in that state than it is nationally, from births recorded since 1910.
Compare something else
Related comparisons
Social Security Administration birth records, 1880–2025, public domain. Full histories: Joella and Joellen.