Estela
Estela was the 1624th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 128 babies. Its best year was 1932, when it ranked 745th; the most babies were born in 2022 (134). Over the last ten years it has moved up 420 places. More babies were named Estela in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Estella) star · Latin, Occitan, French
- Rank in 2025
- #1,624 girls, up 342 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 128girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2022134 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,147babies recorded
What does the name Estela mean?
Estela is a spelling of Estella, pronounced the same way, so it shares Estella's meaning and origin.
Estella is a Latin-looking and Italian variant of Estelle, the French name that comes from Occitan estela, star, and ultimately Latin stella. DMNES has Stella, from Latin stella, star, as a separate medieval name. Wiktionary notes that Estelle was the name of a third-century martyr. The Real Academia Española traces the related Spanish word estrella, star, to the same Latin stella.
estela (Occitan, “star”)stēlla (Latin, “star”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Estelle, Stella, Estrella, Stelle.
See also: Latin names, names that mean sky, star, moon or sun.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Estella' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Estelle' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Stella', DMNES (Durham University)
- Real Academia Española, Diccionario de la lengua española (23rd ed., online), entry 'estrella' (etymology), Real Academia Española / ASALE
Estela popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,624 | 128 |
| 2020 | #1,966 | 96 |
| 2010 | #2,482 | 75 |
| 2000 | #1,781 | 98 |
| 1990 | #1,337 | 120 |
| 1980 | #1,277 | 100 |
| 1970 | #1,360 | 77 |
| 1960 | #1,284 | 74 |
| 1950 | #842 | 109 |
| 1940 | #1,040 | 48 |
| 1930 | #868 | 68 |
| 1920 | #1,215 | 40 |
| 1910 | #2,228 | 6 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Estela, counting every spelling?
Estela is a spelling of Estella, a name family that ranked #451 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,624 for Estela on its own. Together these spellings went to 709 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estella | 581 | #509 | 2,764 |
| Estela | 128 | #1,624 | 622 |
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 Estela?
128 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Estela (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Estela 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 66 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Estela.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Estela?
About 7,100 people born in the US named Estela are alive today, with a median age of 39; half are between 19 and 61. That makes Estela mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Estela by state
How common Estela was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in California (2.5×), Texas (2.0×). In 39 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 Estela: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Estela, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Estela
What does Estela mean?
Estela is a spelling of Estella, which means “star” (Latin, Occitan, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Estela?
Estela was the 1624th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 128 babies. Its best year was 1932, when it ranked 745th; the most babies were born in 2022 (134). Over the last ten years it has moved up 420 places. More babies were named Estela in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Estela a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Estela in the US.
Where is Estela most popular?
In 2021–2025, Estela was most common in California (0.19 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and Florida.