Ela (or Elâ) is a feminine given name of Turkish origin meaning "hazel".[1]

Ela
Pronunciation[e.ˈlaː]
GenderFemale
LanguageTurkish
Origin
Word/nameProto-Turkic
Derivationala
MeaningHazel
Region of originTurkey
Other names
Variant formsElanur, Elanaz, Elasu, İlanur, Elagül

Ela is also an Aramaic feminine given name. It comes from the Aramaic word Elah meaning "oak". It is a nickname for Elen, Eliška, Elizabeth, Elektra, Angela or Eleanor.

Etymology

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Turkish

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Ela originates from Ottoman Turkish الا (elâ), meaning "of hazel color", which is derived from the Proto-Turkic *āla, meaning "variegated", "multicolored" or "ambiguous color". It is a variant of Turkish ala. It is also co-origin with the Proto-Turkic *āl, meaning "red".[2][3][4][5][6][7]

In contemporary Turkish, ela is also used to refer to hazel eyes.

Popularity

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In Turkey, the name was ranked the 17th most commonly given name to baby girls between 2020 and 2021.[8]

Homonyms

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The name Ela is often falsely linked to the Persian word اعلی (a'lā), which itself is borrowed from the Arabic أعلى (ʔaʕlā), meaning "elevation" or "superior". The Turkish variant of this Arabic word would be âlâ or Ala as a name, and is unrelated to the Turkish word ala / ela.[9][10]

Given name

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See also

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References

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  1. "ela". Turkish Language Society.
  2. Redhouse, James (1890). A Turkish and English Lexicon. Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian. p. 179.
  3. Nişanyan, Sevan. "ala". Nişanyan Sözlük (in Turkish).
  4. Kélékian, Diran (1911). Dictionnaire turc-français. Constantinople: Mihran. p. 31.
  5. Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007). Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük. Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat. p. 180.
  6. Tokat, Feyza (2014). "On the Common Words in Mongolian and the Turkish Dialects in Turkey". The Journal of International Social Research (Uluslararası Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi). 7 (34): 185–198.
  7. Starostin, Sergei; Dybo, Anna; Mudrak, Oleg (2003). Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8). Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill.
  8. "Nüfus İstatistikleri Portalı". nip.tuik.gov.tr.
  9. Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Ala (1)". Behind the Name.
  10. Nişanyan, Sevan. "âlâ". Nişanyan Sözlük (in Turkish).