Total births
42,920
Girls' name · since 1880
Estella
42,920 babies named Estella in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #502
- among girls today
- 42,920
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
42,920 babies have been named Estella since 1880, making it today's #502 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Estella has been recorded 42,920 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #502 nationally and more common than 97% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #502 among girls today
- 42,920 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Estella is currently the #502 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 42,920 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #502
- among girls today
- 42,920
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Estella vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#502
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
14% of everyone ever named Estella was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
638 babies were named Estella in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Estella compares
42,920 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Estella's all-time total is 112x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Estella | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 42,920 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 638 | 48 | 19,840 |
Estella's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Estella's full recorded timeline at 1953, 34% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 66% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1997, with just 48 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 638 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Estella at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1921
Current rank
#502
Active since
1880
Estella popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 638
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Estella popularity over time - boys
55 total births recorded since 1889 (Estella as boys' name)
Estella by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Estella's strongest decade.
5,797 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Estella births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
2,321 births
- 1890s
1890s
3,174 births
- 1900s
1900s
3,068 births
- 1910s
1910s
5,092 births
- 1920s
1920s
5,797 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,908 births
- 1940s
1940s
3,731 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,380 births
- 1960s 2,083
1960s
2,083 births
- 1970s 1,200
1970s
1,200 births
- 1980s 800
1980s
800 births
- 1990s 617
1990s
617 births
- 2000s 1,557
2000s
1,557 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,053 births
- 2020s
2020s
3,139 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 5,797 births (14% of all-time use).
How Estella compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Estella's total volume
Estella vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Estella by state
Where Estella concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 5,843 | 13.6% |
| #2 | California | | 3,327 | 7.8% |
| #3 | Mississippi | | 1,720 | 4.0% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 1,545 | 3.6% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 1,428 | 3.3% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 1,158 | 2.7% |
| #7 | Alabama | | 1,045 | 2.4% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 1,040 | 2.4% |
Texas share of Estella's total US births 13.6%
Even split
5,843 of 42,920 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.
Estella appears in 44 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Estella? ▼
Estella has been given to 42,920 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #502 as of the latest data. 638 babies were born in 1921, its single highest year.
When was Estella most popular? ▼
Estella was most popular in the 1920s decade with 5,797 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Estella most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Estella are Texas (5,843 births), California (3,327 births), Mississippi (1,720 births).
How long has the name Estella been used? ▼
Estella has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Estella? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Esther, Estelle, Estrella, Ester, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Estella's data
- Estella's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (5,797 total births) through the 2020s (3,139) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Estellas (5,843 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Estella
Nearby Names Like Estella
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Estella
Esther Girl
#130 271,234 births
Estelle Girl
#641 56,410 births
Estrella Girl
#620 16,799 births
Ester Girl
#1512 16,265 births
Estela Girl
#1758 9,147 births
Compare Estella side by side: Estella vs Esther Estella vs Estelle Estella vs Estrella
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Estella
Alexis #501
344,557 births · Peak 1998
April #503
242,925 births · Peak 1980
Fernanda #500
20,130 births · Peak 2009
Hanna #504
42,005 births · Peak 2000
Arielle #499
30,870 births · Peak 1991
Izabella #505
31,149 births · Peak 2010
Calliope #498
6,098 births · Peak 2025
Virginia #506
652,959 births · Peak 1922
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Estella: #502 Girls' Name - 42,920 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/estella. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Estella draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.