Ornella

Like many a popular name, Ornella is a theatrical creation. Italian playwright Gabriele d'Annunzio created this name for his dramatic heroine in the 1904 play La Figlia di Iorio. Ornella is a feminization of the orno or ornello, which is the Italian word for the Fraxinus Ornus, a type of tree which produces such sweet sap that it was compared to biblical manna.

Pronounced or-NEL-ah.

As of October 2026, Ornella ranked #14487 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #7846 in 1968.