Stella
Stella is a girls' name of Latin origin meaning “star.” It ranked #33 in the United States in 2025. Stella is Latin for 'star,' first used as a name by Sir Philip Sidney for his sonnet sequence 'Astrophel and Stella.
how do you pronounce Stella?
STEL-ah
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Stella mean?
The name Stella means “star.” It comes from the Latin language tradition.
Stella is Latin for 'star,' first used as a name by Sir Philip Sidney for his sonnet sequence 'Astrophel and Stella.' Tennessee Williams's 'A Streetcar Named Desire' cemented its dramatic allure. It has been a steady top-40 name.
where does the name Stella come from?
The Latin word for star, taken directly as a name. It also underlies the Marian title Stella Maris, star of the sea, which was applied to the Virgin Mary from the early medieval period and used by sailors as an image of guidance.
the history of Stella
Sir Philip Sidney appears to have introduced Stella to English in the 1580s in Astrophil and Stella, and Jonathan Swift later used it as his private name for Esther Johnson. Tennessee Williams gave it a very different register in A Streetcar Named Desire. The name climbed back through the 2000s and reached the American top fifty in the 2020s.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #33 |
| 2023 | #34 |
| 2022 | #36 |
| 2021 | #38 |
| 2020 | #42 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Stella?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Stella?
- Stella McCartney (British fashion designer)
- Stella (A Streetcar Named Desire character)
- Stella Artois (Belgian beer brand)
what names are similar to Stella?
what names go well with Stella?
Sibling names that share Stella's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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