Celeste
Celeste was given to 1,662 girls in 2025, #188 among girls’ names; 65,678 Americans have been recorded with it since 1881 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 57,400 Americans named Celeste and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (87% of everyone recorded); the median is 30 years old and half are between 17 and 54.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Celeste by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Celeste mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Celeste is “a female given name from French [in turn from Latin].” Its etymology gives the sense “heavenly” (caelestis).
Borrowed from French Céleste, ultimately from Latin caelestis (“heavenly”).
/səˈlɛst/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Celeste?
#188 among girls’ names, 2025
Celeste rose from #500 in 2015 to #188 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.36 to 1.0 per 1,000.
1,662 babies in 2025, the peak
Celeste peaked in 2025, when 1,662 girls were given it, #188 among girls’ names. In 2024 it went to 1,562 girls.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,662 | #188 | 1.0 |
| 2024 | 1,562 | #197 | 1.0 |
| 2023 | 1,137 | #276 | 0.71 |
| 2022 | 1,083 | #292 | 0.66 |
| 2021 | 1,002 | #327 | 0.61 |
| 2020 | 876 | #352 | 0.54 |
| 2019 | 840 | #374 | 0.50 |
| 2018 | 720 | #446 | 0.42 |
| 2017 | 675 | #465 | 0.39 |
| 2016 | 632 | #494 | 0.36 |
Every recorded year (145)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 638 | #500 | 0.36 |
| 2014 | 679 | #467 | 0.38 |
| 2013 | 654 | #469 | 0.37 |
| 2012 | 655 | #470 | 0.37 |
| 2011 | 671 | #453 | 0.38 |
| 2010 | 674 | #457 | 0.38 |
| 2009 | 676 | #459 | 0.37 |
| 2008 | 806 | #400 | 0.43 |
| 2007 | 914 | #355 | 0.48 |
| 2006 | 1,013 | #327 | 0.53 |
| 2005 | 1,203 | #272 | 0.65 |
| 2004 | 1,637 | #204 | 0.89 |
| 2003 | 1,034 | #298 | 0.57 |
| 2002 | 1,011 | #308 | 0.56 |
| 2001 | 1,095 | #285 | 0.61 |
| 2000 | 1,167 | #275 | 0.64 |
| 1999 | 1,205 | #263 | 0.68 |
| 1998 | 1,229 | #252 | 0.70 |
| 1997 | 1,252 | #239 | 0.72 |
| 1996 | 1,157 | #241 | 0.66 |
| 1995 | 1,149 | #247 | 0.65 |
| 1994 | 1,079 | #259 | 0.60 |
| 1993 | 733 | #349 | 0.41 |
| 1992 | 671 | #386 | 0.36 |
| 1991 | 687 | #374 | 0.37 |
| 1990 | 653 | #398 | 0.34 |
| 1989 | 592 | #418 | 0.32 |
| 1988 | 459 | #494 | 0.26 |
| 1987 | 467 | #466 | 0.27 |
| 1986 | 481 | #450 | 0.28 |
| 1985 | 504 | #436 | 0.29 |
| 1984 | 508 | #419 | 0.30 |
| 1983 | 525 | #409 | 0.31 |
| 1982 | 598 | #386 | 0.35 |
| 1981 | 595 | #383 | 0.36 |
| 1980 | 583 | #392 | 0.35 |
| 1979 | 525 | #409 | 0.33 |
| 1978 | 489 | #414 | 0.32 |
| 1977 | 471 | #431 | 0.31 |
| 1976 | 547 | #376 | 0.37 |
| 1975 | 523 | #388 | 0.36 |
| 1974 | 581 | #370 | 0.40 |
| 1973 | 598 | #353 | 0.41 |
| 1972 | 552 | #386 | 0.36 |
| 1971 | 654 | #364 | 0.39 |
| 1970 | 596 | #394 | 0.34 |
| 1969 | 592 | #386 | 0.35 |
| 1968 | 556 | #389 | 0.34 |
| 1967 | 621 | #359 | 0.38 |
| 1966 | 650 | #356 | 0.38 |
| 1965 | 659 | #353 | 0.37 |
| 1964 | 691 | #359 | 0.36 |
| 1963 | 789 | #337 | 0.41 |
| 1962 | 802 | #330 | 0.41 |
| 1961 | 855 | #324 | 0.42 |
| 1960 | 762 | #346 | 0.38 |
| 1959 | 749 | #350 | 0.37 |
| 1958 | 782 | #338 | 0.39 |
| 1957 | 694 | #344 | 0.34 |
| 1956 | 720 | #326 | 0.36 |
| 1955 | 710 | #323 | 0.36 |
| 1954 | 622 | #342 | 0.32 |
| 1953 | 634 | #331 | 0.34 |
| 1952 | 627 | #326 | 0.34 |
| 1951 | 597 | #325 | 0.33 |
| 1950 | 532 | #338 | 0.31 |
| 1949 | 407 | #392 | 0.24 |
| 1948 | 297 | #465 | 0.17 |
| 1947 | 306 | #470 | 0.17 |
| 1946 | 218 | #534 | 0.14 |
| 1945 | 171 | #561 | 0.13 |
| 1944 | 147 | #605 | 0.11 |
| 1943 | 166 | #584 | 0.12 |
| 1942 | 156 | #593 | 0.12 |
| 1941 | 159 | #553 | 0.13 |
| 1940 | 140 | #588 | 0.12 |
| 1939 | 108 | #652 | 0.10 |
| 1938 | 121 | #618 | 0.11 |
| 1937 | 136 | #578 | 0.13 |
| 1936 | 95 | #684 | 0.09 |
| 1935 | 99 | #667 | 0.09 |
| 1934 | 124 | #583 | 0.12 |
| 1933 | 105 | #642 | 0.10 |
| 1932 | 123 | #594 | 0.12 |
| 1931 | 96 | #683 | 0.09 |
| 1930 | 97 | #699 | 0.09 |
| 1929 | 117 | #644 | 0.10 |
| 1928 | 131 | #615 | 0.11 |
| 1927 | 109 | #696 | 0.09 |
| 1926 | 113 | #687 | 0.10 |
| 1925 | 144 | #605 | 0.12 |
| 1924 | 135 | #645 | 0.11 |
| 1923 | 146 | #601 | 0.12 |
| 1922 | 108 | #704 | 0.09 |
| 1921 | 160 | #566 | 0.13 |
| 1920 | 150 | #583 | 0.13 |
| 1919 | 142 | #587 | 0.13 |
| 1918 | 154 | #575 | 0.13 |
| 1917 | 156 | #535 | 0.14 |
| 1916 | 157 | #524 | 0.15 |
| 1915 | 133 | #555 | 0.14 |
| 1914 | 98 | #571 | 0.13 |
| 1913 | 88 | #541 | 0.14 |
| 1912 | 90 | #505 | 0.16 |
| 1911 | 61 | #537 | 0.15 |
| 1910 | 72 | #474 | 0.18 |
| 1909 | 47 | #559 | 0.14 |
| 1908 | 41 | #583 | 0.12 |
| 1907 | 49 | #511 | 0.15 |
| 1906 | 50 | #486 | 0.17 |
| 1905 | 50 | #482 | 0.17 |
| 1904 | 36 | #559 | 0.13 |
| 1903 | 36 | #540 | 0.14 |
| 1902 | 33 | #573 | 0.12 |
| 1901 | 38 | #489 | 0.16 |
| 1900 | 49 | #483 | 0.16 |
| 1899 | 33 | #515 | 0.14 |
| 1898 | 42 | #476 | 0.16 |
| 1897 | 36 | #479 | 0.15 |
| 1896 | 30 | #555 | 0.13 |
| 1895 | 32 | #521 | 0.14 |
| 1894 | 26 | #570 | 0.12 |
| 1893 | 27 | #537 | 0.13 |
| 1892 | 27 | #528 | 0.13 |
| 1891 | 22 | #561 | 0.12 |
| 1890 | 20 | #582 | 0.11 |
| 1889 | 11 | #806 | 0.06 |
| 1888 | 27 | #477 | 0.15 |
| 1887 | 20 | #501 | 0.14 |
| 1886 | 18 | #529 | 0.12 |
| 1885 | 16 | #544 | 0.12 |
| 1884 | 15 | #544 | 0.12 |
| 1883 | 9 | #654 | 0.08 |
| 1882 | 9 | #637 | 0.08 |
| 1881 | 14 | #449 | 0.15 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Celeste a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Celeste has been given almost only to girls: 57 boys in 145 years of records.
Girls and boys named Celeste: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Celeste, and how old are they?
57,400 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 87% of the 65,678 Americans ever recorded as Celeste. The median Celeste alive today is 30 years old; half are between 17 and 54.
The 2020 Census counted 51,111 people named Celeste (50,979 women and girls, 132 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 51,875 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 734 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 9,390 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 8,520 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 10,600 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 16,100 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 12,100 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Celeste born?
The states with the most babies named Celeste are California, Texas and Florida, with 44% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 330 | #89 | 1.7× |
| Texas | 273 | #106 | 1.5× |
| Florida | 123 | #144 | 0.9× |
| New York | 80 | #216 | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 71 | #139 | 1.0× |
| Arizona | 49 | #128 | 1.6× |
| Washington | 45 | #158 | 0.9× |
| Georgia | 41 | #251 | 0.6× |
| Pennsylvania | 39 | #280 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 39 | #284 | 0.6× |
Where Celeste is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Celeste is most over-represented in California: since 1910 it was given 1.7 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Celeste with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 3 names spelled alike, given to 69,228 babies since 1880, Celeste is the most given (95% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,662 of their 1,704 babies (98%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Celeste
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Celeste and names like it
- Compare Celeste and CelestaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2020sCeleste peaked in 2025.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Celeste since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Celeste: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2025The year the most babies were named Celeste.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Celeste alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with CMost given first.