love the name [Ella]it’s very classic and was also my great grandmothers name it in the top 100 from 1900 till 1940 and then lost popularity for a while but is now rising again with the love of old fashioned names like lily, [Olivia]etc. However my husband likes the name [Emily] which to me is already becoming dated it was never in the top 100 until it gained attention in the 1973 and entered top 100 for the first time and climbed the list. The thing that puts me off is I do find it very 90s/2000s I grew up in early 90s when the “emily” fad was just starting so I didn’t know many growing up and it’s already sliding down the charts, he loves the name for some reason! But I just think [Ella]has much more class and elegance and was never a “2000s thing” like [Emily] was. It was in the number 1 spot 2000-2007 and like any top name through time will become very tied to that period. I don’t think [Ella]) ever will! What name would u recommend?
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] feels a little more dated to me right now, but it’s also more classic feeling than [name_f]Ella[/name_f], which feels very “now” — especially with all the other Elle/Ellie names trending at the moment.
So while my answer is [name_f]Emily[/name_f] for now, fast forward 20 years and I suspect [name_f]Ella[/name_f] will feel more dated in the long run.
Both lovely names by the way. [name_f]My[/name_f] slight preference is for [name_f]Ella[/name_f], which is so sweet and simple but also has a jazz-cool feel thanks to [name_f]Ella[/name_f] [name_m]Fitzgerald[/name_m].
I don’t find either of these dated tbh. Both rank in the UK top 20, and I’ve met kids with both names.
That said, [name_f]Ella[/name_f] feels a tad more fresh to me, if that’s what you want.
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] is my personal preference, largely due to the [name_f]Emily[/name_f] [name_f]Brontë[/name_f] connection 
[name_f]Ella[/name_f] seems more dated to me - I know 5 or 6 Ella’s born between 2006-2008 and no Emily’s that I can think of off the top of my head
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] is definitely more dated to me, but I agree with @katinka’s sentiments
In the UK both are still common and trendy names. Personally I think [name_f]Emily[/name_f] sounds more dated because of how popular [name_f]Ella[/name_f] names are at the moment 
worldwide, [name_f]Ella[/name_f] is more “in” now than [name_f]Emily[/name_f], so I’d say [name_f]Emily[/name_f] is currently more dated!
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] feels more dated to me. But, both are so classic that neither feels very dated! I really like both [name_f]Emily[/name_f] and [name_f]Ella[/name_f]!
definitely emily for me! ella has become more popular now
emily! it’s an early 2000s name for me, whereas ella is and has continued to be popular for a long time. it probably helps that i know a lot of ellas that are younger, and that i am one myself. it honestly feels like a classic to me, but emily doesn’t.
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] is timeless to me, [name_f]Ella[/name_f] is hit or miss. Both are pretty! [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is being used in place of [name_f]Ella[/name_f] from what I’ve seen, and lots of Ellie’s in the past 5 years.
I don’t think either are dated! Both feel classic and timeless to me, but I do think both are quite popular. I agree that [name_f]Emily[/name_f] was very popular during the 90s/early 2000s but [name_f]Ella[/name_f] is very popular in the late 2000s/2010s. [name_f]Ella[/name_f] is also surrounded by Bella/Belle/Ellie’s as well as being a popular nickname for other popular names like Isabella/Isabelle/Annabelle/Arabella’s and less popular ones like Gabriella/Daniella.
As of right now, I know
16 x Emilys [ages 40, 33, 27, 26, 24, 23(x4), 22, 21(x2), 20, 18, 16, 11]
4 x Ellas [ages 20, 19, 7, 4]
12 x with the nickname [name_f]Ella[/name_f] (most of them are an [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] or Arabella) [ages 17, 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 9(x2), 8, 4, 2, 1]
However, with that said, I don’t think they are both so popular everywhere in the world, or even everywhere in Australia (where I’m from). I think it’s a pretty big fluke to be honest! So I wouldn’t interpret this as there being 16 Emilys and 16 Ellas everywhere!
When it comes to preference, I slightly prefer [name_f]Ella[/name_f] over [name_f]Emily[/name_f], but only just! Ask me tomorrow and the answer may be different 
. I do love [name_f]Emily[/name_f] spelt [name_f]Emilie[/name_f] or [name_f]Emelie[/name_f]. But I would never use it because she would constantly be correcting people.
Maybe some names that you both may like…
Millie/Milly (Milly is part of the name [name_f]Emily[/name_f] but is a sweet, nickname name like Ella!)
Emma/Etta (same beginning as [name_f]Emily[/name_f], but similar structure to Ella)
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] (Ella could be her nickname? And it is a very well established, literary name like Emily)
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] (same as Elizabeth)
[name_f]Nora[/name_f] (similar vibe to both names)
[name_f]Esme[/name_f]
[name_f]Emilia[/name_f]
[name_f]Amalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Elayna[/name_f]
[name_f]Lena[/name_f]
[name_f]Elsie[/name_f]
[name_f]Adella[/name_f]
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps!!
In my opinion both names are timeless. I am still meeting 2 year old Emily’s and know 50 year old Emily’s. I don’t know any older Ella’s but the name still feels timeless, I wouldn’t be surprised if I met one. So go with whatever one you prefer. I don’t think either name could ever be dated at all.
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] does feel very 90s/early 2000s for me (UK). [name_f]Ella[/name_f] was less overused, but is more popuar now. 20 years ago [name_f]Emily[/name_f] was probably less dated, but now I would say [name_f]Ella[/name_f] is.
Personally I do not find either name dated. I completely agree with @Greyblue they both rank in the top 20 in the UK and I’ve met people of all ages named both [name_f]Ella[/name_f] & [name_f]Emily[/name_f]. I do not think you can go wrong with either name.
However I prefer [name_f]Ella[/name_f] she’s my daughter middle name (her name is [name_f]Lilia[/name_f] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] Ella) so that’s a massive plus for me I think she feels sparkly I love the meaning fairy maiden & the [name_f]Ella[/name_f] [name_m]Fitzgerald[/name_m] connection
They both seem dated to me, but that is probably because I’ve taught since the late 80’s in the US and I’ve taught dozens of each.
That said, [name_f]Emily[/name_f] strikes me as a classic name whereas [name_f]Ella[/name_f] seems less so. Though I adore [name_f]Fenella[/name_f].
I have a theory…I tend to think of both as so classic they’ll always be in the back pocket.
But! I think [name_f]Emma[/name_f] has been it for so long that [name_f]Emily[/name_f] will be coming back around sound because the 90’s are back again. I also think that [name_f]Ella[/name_f] is about to give way to [name_f]Elle[/name_f] for a little bit and [name_f]Etta[/name_f] and Elly/Ellie at least for a while.
Personally I’d say [name_f]Ella[/name_f], only because I’ve heard of Emily’s of all ages but only young Ella’s