Girls' name · since 1880
Stella
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 206,906 babies named Stella, peaking in 2018. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #195 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #52 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 206,906
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Stella is the #52 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 206,906 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Stella recorded 206,906 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #52 nationally today, ahead of 99.7% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #195 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #52 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 206,906 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Stella ranks #195 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #52 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 206,906 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #195 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #52 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 206,906
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Stella's 206,906 recorded births place it above 99.73% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Stella compares
206,906 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 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
Stella's all-time total is 550x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Stella | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 206,906 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 5,164 | 21 | 19,840 |
Stella's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Stella's full recorded timeline at 1953, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1995, with just 125 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2018 peak of 5,164 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Stella popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2018)
- 5,164
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Stella popularity over time - boys
382 total births recorded since 1885 (Stella as boys' name)
Stella by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (44,225 births, 21% of the file).
2010s was Stella's strongest decade.
44,225 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Stella births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 6,130
1880s
6,130 births
- 1890s 9,807
1890s
9,807 births
- 1900s 11,014
1900s
11,014 births
- 1910s
1910s
28,526 births
- 1920s
1920s
25,899 births
- 1930s 11,206
1930s
11,206 births
- 1940s 11,363
1940s
11,363 births
- 1950s 8,591
1950s
8,591 births
- 1960s 4,957
1960s
4,957 births
- 1970s 2,563
1970s
2,563 births
- 1980s 1,867
1980s
1,867 births
- 1990s 1,798
1990s
1,798 births
- 2000s 11,843
2000s
11,843 births
- 2010s
2010s
44,225 births
- 2020s
2020s
27,117 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 44,225 births (21% of all-time use).
How Stella 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 Stella's total volume
Stella by state
Where Stella concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 15,155 | 7.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 13,657 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 13,526 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Texas | | 11,750 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 8,136 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 7,223 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 6,460 | 3.1% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 5,781 | 2.8% |
15,155 of 206,906 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Stella appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Stella? ▼
Where does Stella sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Stella most popular? ▼
Where is Stella most popular? ▼
How long has the name Stella been used? ▼
What names are similar to Stella? ▼
What to do with Stella's data
- Stella's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (44,225 total births) through the 2020s (27,117) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Stellas (15,155 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Stella
Nearby Names Like Stella
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Stella
Compare Stella side by side: Stella vs Stephanie Stella vs Stefanie Stella vs Stevie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Stella
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Stella: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2018)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 Stella 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 August 2026.