Given name & surname · also Latin
Stella
“star of the sea”
Stella is used as a given name, a surname, and a nickname. One English interpretation is “star of the sea.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “star of the sea.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
The name draws on Latin stella, meaning “star”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Stella through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 207,288
- 382 boys · 206,906 girls
- Most popular year
- 2018
- 5,164 babies
- 2025
- 4,136
- #52 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −10%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 4,136 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 52 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 9.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 5,164 in 2018. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (389). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 93,368 as a first name in 2020; 3,763 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Stella’s family of names
In Polish usage, Stella has a diminutive in Stelka. Stella shares a linguistic root with Estrella. In English usage, Stella has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Estela.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Stella has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
12 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 23
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Stella
- Stella McCartneyBritish fashion designer (born 1971)
- Stella MwangiKenyan-Norwegian singer, rapper and songwriterborn 1986
- Miles FranklinAustralian writer and feminist (1879–1954)
- Stella StevensAmerican actress (1938–2023)
- Stella AdlerAmerican actress and acting teacher (1901–1992)
- Stella GibbonsBritish writer (1902–1989)
- Stella MaxwellBritish modelborn 1990
- Stella KyriakidesCypriot politicianborn 1956
- Stella RimingtonBritish director of MI5 (1935–2025)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Stella, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Nova
“new; a bright star” · “a butterfly chaser”
5% boys · 95% girls
Gemma
“gem, jewel” · “as precious as a jewel”
>99% girls
Harley
“from the meadow of the hares”
20% boys · 80% girls
Presley
“of the priest's town” · “from the priest's meadow”
7% boys · 93% girls
Ivy
“resembling the evergreen vining plant”
>99% girls
Winter
“born during the winter season”
6% boys · 94% girls
Wren
“resembling a small songbird”
13% boys · 87% girls
Blakely
“from the dark meadow”
1% boys · 99% girls