Stella
Stella was the 52nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 4,136 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 38th with 5,164 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1 places. More babies were named Stella in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning star · Latin
Say it STEL-uh /ˈstɛlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #52 girls, down 10 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 4,136girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20185,164 babies
- Total since 1880
- 207,288babies recorded
What does the name Stella mean?
Stella is the Latin word for 'star'. Philip Sidney used it for the lady of his 1580s sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella, and Wikipedia credits that work with bringing it into English use. Catholic devotion to the Virgin Mary as Stella Maris, 'star of the sea', may also have encouraged it. DMNES records Stella as a medieval name, though not in England.
stēlla (Latin, “star”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Estella, Estelle, Stela.
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. 'Stella', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Stella', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Stella (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Stella popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 382 since 1885.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #52 | 4,136 |
| 2020 | #42 | 4,667 |
| 2010 | #85 | 3,440 |
| 2000 | #656 | 376 |
| 1990 | #1,051 | 171 |
| 1980 | #732 | 228 |
| 1970 | #543 | 347 |
| 1960 | #383 | 617 |
| 1950 | #226 | 1,113 |
| 1940 | #192 | 962 |
| 1930 | #140 | 1,570 |
| 1920 | #82 | 3,492 |
| 1910 | #72 | 1,319 |
| 1900 | #68 | 1,177 |
| 1890 | #56 | 924 |
| 1880 | #60 | 414 |
How popular is Stella, counting every spelling?
Stella is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #65 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #52 for Stella on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,144 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stella | 4,136 | #52 | 22,450 |
| Stela | 8 | #11,808 | 50 |
| Stellah | — | — | 34 |
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 Stella?
4,136 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Stella (1.15 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Stella born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 46. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Stella.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Stella?
About 108,600 people born in the US named Stella are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 7 and 24. That makes Stella a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Stella by state
How common Stella was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (2.5×), Alaska (2.4×), New Hampshire (2.1×), Rhode Island (2.1×), Delaware (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Texas, California, Georgia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Stella: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Stella, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Stella · Sibling names for Stella
Stella is also a nickname for Estella and Estelle.
Questions about the name Stella
What does Stella mean?
Stella means “star” (Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Stella?
Stella was the 52nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 4,136 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 38th with 5,164 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1 places. More babies were named Stella in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Stella a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Stella in the US.
Where is Stella most popular?
In 2021–2025, Stella was most common in North Dakota (6.85 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alaska and New Hampshire.