Girl nameCurrently #49 in the USSteady
Stella
STEL-uh//ˈstɛlə//
2 syllablesPeak year: 20186 lettersStarts with S
Meaning & origin
Star
Stella is the Latin word for 'star', long used as a poetic title for the Virgin Mary ('Stella Maris', star of the sea) and popularized as a given name by Philip Sidney's 16th-century sonnet sequence 'Astrophil and Stella'. It has enjoyed a strong modern revival for its bright, vintage-glamour sound.
Stella's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Stella |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 414 |
| 1881 | 416 |
| 1882 | 506 |
| 1883 | 529 |
| 1884 | 584 |
| 1885 | 654 |
| 1886 | 702 |
| 1887 | 664 |
| 1888 | 775 |
| 1889 | 891 |
| 1890 | 929 |
| 1891 | 872 |
| 1892 | 972 |
| 1893 | 932 |
| 1894 | 1,035 |
| 1895 | 1,026 |
| 1896 | 1,059 |
| 1897 | 971 |
| 1898 | 1,062 |
| 1899 | 975 |
| 1900 | 1,183 |
| 1901 | 934 |
| 1902 | 1,075 |
| 1903 | 1,021 |
| 1904 | 1,031 |
| 1905 | 1,097 |
| 1906 | 1,141 |
| 1907 | 1,156 |
| 1908 | 1,222 |
| 1909 | 1,195 |
| 1910 | 1,319 |
| 1911 | 1,422 |
| 1912 | 1,844 |
| 1913 | 2,214 |
| 1914 | 2,777 |
| 1915 | 3,657 |
| 1916 | 3,829 |
| 1917 | 3,880 |
| 1918 | 3,936 |
| 1919 | 3,708 |
| 1920 | 3,505 |
| 1921 | 3,344 |
| 1922 | 3,175 |
| 1923 | 2,965 |
| 1924 | 2,758 |
| 1925 | 2,411 |
| 1926 | 2,204 |
| 1927 | 2,123 |
| 1928 | 1,811 |
| 1929 | 1,697 |
| 1930 | 1,578 |
| 1931 | 1,428 |
| 1932 | 1,349 |
| 1933 | 1,130 |
| 1934 | 1,105 |
| 1935 | 954 |
| 1936 | 974 |
| 1937 | 923 |
| 1938 | 886 |
| 1939 | 961 |
| 1940 | 962 |
| 1941 | 1,023 |
| 1942 | 1,133 |
| 1943 | 1,182 |
| 1944 | 1,017 |
| 1945 | 993 |
| 1946 | 1,162 |
| 1947 | 1,339 |
| 1948 | 1,352 |
| 1949 | 1,220 |
| 1950 | 1,113 |
| 1951 | 1,060 |
| 1952 | 996 |
| 1953 | 956 |
| 1954 | 852 |
| 1955 | 794 |
| 1956 | 766 |
| 1957 | 737 |
| 1958 | 683 |
| 1959 | 644 |
| 1960 | 617 |
| 1961 | 597 |
| 1962 | 614 |
| 1963 | 541 |
| 1964 | 561 |
| 1965 | 511 |
| 1966 | 429 |
| 1967 | 411 |
| 1968 | 356 |
| 1969 | 320 |
| 1970 | 347 |
| 1971 | 299 |
| 1972 | 285 |
| 1973 | 234 |
| 1974 | 250 |
| 1975 | 251 |
| 1976 | 202 |
| 1977 | 240 |
| 1978 | 243 |
| 1979 | 216 |
| 1980 | 228 |
| 1981 | 227 |
| 1982 | 221 |
| 1983 | 208 |
| 1984 | 190 |
| 1985 | 154 |
| 1986 | 152 |
| 1987 | 166 |
| 1988 | 154 |
| 1989 | 169 |
| 1990 | 171 |
| 1991 | 152 |
| 1992 | 169 |
| 1993 | 167 |
| 1994 | 131 |
| 1995 | 125 |
| 1996 | 149 |
| 1997 | 190 |
| 1998 | 233 |
| 1999 | 312 |
| 2000 | 376 |
| 2001 | 422 |
| 2002 | 556 |
| 2003 | 797 |
| 2004 | 1,123 |
| 2005 | 1,308 |
| 2006 | 1,413 |
| 2007 | 1,463 |
| 2008 | 1,824 |
| 2009 | 2,560 |
| 2010 | 3,447 |
| 2011 | 3,704 |
| 2012 | 4,013 |
| 2013 | 3,916 |
| 2014 | 4,208 |
| 2015 | 4,805 |
| 2016 | 4,933 |
| 2017 | 5,069 |
| 2018 | 5,163 |
| 2019 | 4,994 |
| 2020 | 4,672 |
| 2021 | 4,818 |
| 2022 | 4,845 |
| 2023 | 4,366 |
| 2024 | 4,264 |
Stella through the decades
- Stella peaked in 2018, when 5,163 babies were named Stella in the US.
- The 2020s were Stella's strongest decade, averaging 4,593 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Stella has risen 72% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Stella currently ranks #49 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
Stella
Variants & spellings
EstellaEstelle
Famous people named Stella
- Stella McCartney — fashion designer