Celest
Celest was the 11141st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 8 babies. Its best year was 1908, when it ranked 2166th; the most babies were born in 2004 (56). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,528 places. More babies were named Celest in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Celeste) heavenly · Latin, French
- Rank in 2025
- #11,141 girls, down 1,434 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 8girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 200456 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,089babies recorded
What does the name Celest mean?
Celest is a spelling of Celeste, pronounced the same way, so it shares Celeste's meaning and origin.
Celeste comes from Latin caelestis, 'heavenly, celestial', from caelum, 'sky, heaven'; DMNES, Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree. DMNES glosses the Latin word 'heavenly; celestial, divine' and records the name as the feminine of Celestus in English Latin documents. Wiktionary notes that English took it from French Céleste. It is used in French, Spanish, Italian and English, and Celestine and Celestina are related forms.
caelestis (Latin, “heavenly”)caelum (Latin, “sky, heaven”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Céleste, Celestine, Celestina, Celia.
See also: Latin names, names that mean sky, star, moon or sun.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Celeste', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Celeste', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Celeste (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Celest popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11,141 | 8 |
| 2020 | #9,707 | 10 |
| 2010 | #7,282 | 17 |
| 2000 | #3,128 | 44 |
| 1990 | #6,936 | 12 |
| 1980 | #5,585 | 12 |
| 1970 | #5,884 | 8 |
| 1960 | #5,240 | 7 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | #5,103 | 5 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Celest, counting every spelling?
Celest is a spelling of Celeste, a name family that ranked #205 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #11,141 for Celest on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,700 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celeste | 1,662 | #188 | 6,446 |
| Seleste | 24 | #5,373 | 100 |
| Celest | 8 | #11,141 | 52 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Celest?
8 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Celest (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Celest born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1,057 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Celest.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Celest?
About 1,000 people born in the US named Celest are alive today, with a median age of 26; half are between 19 and 33. That makes Celest mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Celest by state
How common Celest was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Celest: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Celest, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Celest
What does Celest mean?
Celest is a spelling of Celeste, which means “heavenly” (Latin, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Celest?
Celest was the 11141st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 8 babies. Its best year was 1908, when it ranked 2166th; the most babies were born in 2004 (56). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,528 places. More babies were named Celest in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Celest a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Celest in the US.
Where is Celest most popular?
In 2021–2025, Celest was most common in California (0.01 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and Texas.