Given name & surname
Hella
“a holy woman; one who is successful”
Hella is a variant of Helga. One German interpretation is “a holy woman; one who is successful.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Hella is a variant of Helga. One German interpretation is “a holy woman; one who is successful.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Hella is a variant of Helga. An origin associated with Helga is German. Hella is a variant of Helen. A possible origin is Greek, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Finnish usage, Hella as a surname developed from Häll.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2021. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Hella is a variant of Helen. The history of Helen gives this family its wider story. Helen’s historical associations include the mother of the Emperor Constantine.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Hella through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5
- 0 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2021. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 394 as a first name in 2020; 188 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Hella’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Hella as a surname developed from the Swedish form Häll. Hella has a related form in Helen. In German usage, Hella has a related form in Helene.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Hella has relatives in 3 languages.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Hella
- Hella HaasseDutch writer (1918–2011)
- Hella WuolijokiEstonian-Finnish writer (1886–1954)
- Hella KeemEstonian folklorist and linguist (1915–1997)
- HellaFinnish keyboardist and singerborn 1985
- Hella RothGerman field hockey playerborn 1963
- Hella JongeriusDutch designer (1963)
- Hella JoofDanish actress and film directorborn 1962
- Hella PickBritish journalist (1929–2024)1927–2024
- Hella von SinnenGerman comedian and television presenterborn 1959
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hella, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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