It's a bit bland and still suffers from the whole
Ellen DeGeneres scandal.
I don't dislike it, but it just feels tired and bland. It would need a really nice namesake or something and then it could sparkle again. I doubt that will happen soon, because by now people are tired of
Ella and
Ellie, so
Ellen will not sound any more exciting any time soon. In my opinion, the best things it has going for it are the nickname
Ellie and the fact that it's down to earth. But
Ellie is popular on its own and starting to feel tired and without a sweet nickname,
Ellen is less appealing.
I personally like
Ella,
Elinor,
Eleanor and
Ellie and am not tired of them, but many people seem to be. I also like
Elena, but only as eh-LAY-na.