Stella
Stella was given to 4,136 girls in 2025, #52 among girls’ names; 207,288 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 109,000 Americans named Stella and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (53% of everyone recorded); the median is 12 years old and half are between 7 and 24.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Stella by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Stella mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Stella is “a female given name from Latin.” Its etymology gives the sense “star” (stēlla).
From Latin stēlla (“star”). Noun sense 2 is after the protagonist of How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998).
/ˈstɛlə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Stella?
#52 among girls’ names, 2025
Stella fell from #51 in 2015 to #52 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 2.7 to 2.6 per 1,000.
5,164 babies in 2018, the peak
Stella peaked in 2018, when 5,164 girls were given it, #38 among girls’ names. The 4,136 births of 2025 are 80% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4,136 | #52 | 2.6 |
| 2024 | 4,274 | #49 | 2.6 |
| 2023 | 4,371 | #46 | 2.7 |
| 2022 | 4,849 | #40 | 3.0 |
| 2021 | 4,820 | #41 | 2.9 |
| 2020 | 4,667 | #42 | 2.9 |
| 2019 | 4,997 | #40 | 3.0 |
| 2018 | 5,164 | #38 | 3.0 |
| 2017 | 5,070 | #42 | 2.9 |
| 2016 | 4,933 | #45 | 2.8 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 4,798 | #51 | 2.7 |
| 2014 | 4,203 | #66 | 2.4 |
| 2013 | 3,916 | #70 | 2.2 |
| 2012 | 4,006 | #62 | 2.3 |
| 2011 | 3,698 | #74 | 2.1 |
| 2010 | 3,440 | #85 | 1.9 |
| 2009 | 2,560 | #126 | 1.4 |
| 2008 | 1,824 | #186 | 1.0 |
| 2007 | 1,463 | #243 | 0.76 |
| 2006 | 1,413 | #242 | 0.74 |
| 2005 | 1,308 | #250 | 0.71 |
| 2004 | 1,123 | #291 | 0.61 |
| 2003 | 797 | #380 | 0.44 |
| 2002 | 557 | #499 | 0.31 |
| 2001 | 422 | #598 | 0.23 |
| 2000 | 376 | #656 | 0.21 |
| 1999 | 312 | #724 | 0.18 |
| 1998 | 233 | #908 | 0.13 |
| 1997 | 190 | #1,017 | 0.11 |
| 1996 | 149 | #1,206 | 0.08 |
| 1995 | 125 | #1,325 | 0.07 |
| 1994 | 131 | #1,300 | 0.07 |
| 1993 | 167 | #1,086 | 0.09 |
| 1992 | 169 | #1,073 | 0.09 |
| 1991 | 151 | #1,162 | 0.08 |
| 1990 | 171 | #1,049 | 0.09 |
| 1989 | 169 | #1,015 | 0.09 |
| 1988 | 154 | #1,046 | 0.09 |
| 1987 | 165 | #965 | 0.09 |
| 1986 | 151 | #1,016 | 0.09 |
| 1985 | 154 | #996 | 0.09 |
| 1984 | 191 | #828 | 0.11 |
| 1983 | 208 | #769 | 0.12 |
| 1982 | 220 | #755 | 0.13 |
| 1981 | 227 | #731 | 0.14 |
| 1980 | 228 | #732 | 0.14 |
| 1979 | 216 | #751 | 0.13 |
| 1978 | 244 | #661 | 0.16 |
| 1977 | 235 | #670 | 0.15 |
| 1976 | 202 | #731 | 0.14 |
| 1975 | 251 | #629 | 0.17 |
| 1974 | 250 | #624 | 0.17 |
| 1973 | 234 | #644 | 0.16 |
| 1972 | 285 | #577 | 0.19 |
| 1971 | 299 | #584 | 0.18 |
| 1970 | 347 | #543 | 0.20 |
| 1969 | 320 | #553 | 0.19 |
| 1968 | 356 | #513 | 0.22 |
| 1967 | 411 | #467 | 0.25 |
| 1966 | 429 | #456 | 0.25 |
| 1965 | 511 | #411 | 0.29 |
| 1964 | 561 | #412 | 0.30 |
| 1963 | 541 | #415 | 0.28 |
| 1962 | 614 | #380 | 0.31 |
| 1961 | 597 | #394 | 0.30 |
| 1960 | 617 | #383 | 0.31 |
| 1959 | 639 | #378 | 0.32 |
| 1958 | 683 | #353 | 0.34 |
| 1957 | 731 | #338 | 0.36 |
| 1956 | 766 | #316 | 0.38 |
| 1955 | 794 | #305 | 0.41 |
| 1954 | 852 | #292 | 0.44 |
| 1953 | 957 | #263 | 0.51 |
| 1952 | 996 | #248 | 0.54 |
| 1951 | 1,060 | #240 | 0.59 |
| 1950 | 1,113 | #226 | 0.65 |
| 1949 | 1,220 | #215 | 0.71 |
| 1948 | 1,344 | #201 | 0.79 |
| 1947 | 1,334 | #200 | 0.75 |
| 1946 | 1,162 | #209 | 0.74 |
| 1945 | 993 | #198 | 0.76 |
| 1944 | 1,017 | #198 | 0.77 |
| 1943 | 1,182 | #188 | 0.85 |
| 1942 | 1,126 | #188 | 0.83 |
| 1941 | 1,023 | #184 | 0.85 |
| 1940 | 962 | #192 | 0.84 |
| 1939 | 954 | #188 | 0.87 |
| 1938 | 877 | #200 | 0.79 |
| 1937 | 916 | #195 | 0.86 |
| 1936 | 967 | #186 | 0.93 |
| 1935 | 945 | #187 | 0.90 |
| 1934 | 1,095 | #169 | 1.0 |
| 1933 | 1,123 | #164 | 1.1 |
| 1932 | 1,340 | #150 | 1.3 |
| 1931 | 1,419 | #142 | 1.3 |
| 1930 | 1,570 | #140 | 1.4 |
| 1929 | 1,690 | #137 | 1.5 |
| 1928 | 1,803 | #132 | 1.6 |
| 1927 | 2,112 | #123 | 1.8 |
| 1926 | 2,191 | #121 | 1.8 |
| 1925 | 2,402 | #114 | 2.0 |
| 1924 | 2,752 | #105 | 2.2 |
| 1923 | 2,956 | #96 | 2.5 |
| 1922 | 3,166 | #88 | 2.6 |
| 1921 | 3,335 | #86 | 2.7 |
| 1920 | 3,492 | #82 | 2.9 |
| 1919 | 3,700 | #70 | 3.3 |
| 1918 | 3,928 | #67 | 3.4 |
| 1917 | 3,872 | #62 | 3.6 |
| 1916 | 3,818 | #63 | 3.7 |
| 1915 | 3,657 | #64 | 3.7 |
| 1914 | 2,771 | #65 | 3.6 |
| 1913 | 2,205 | #69 | 3.5 |
| 1912 | 1,834 | #73 | 3.3 |
| 1911 | 1,422 | #72 | 3.4 |
| 1910 | 1,319 | #72 | 3.3 |
| 1909 | 1,188 | #70 | 3.4 |
| 1908 | 1,216 | #67 | 3.6 |
| 1907 | 1,150 | #70 | 3.6 |
| 1906 | 1,141 | #65 | 3.9 |
| 1905 | 1,097 | #67 | 3.8 |
| 1904 | 1,026 | #68 | 3.7 |
| 1903 | 1,016 | #65 | 3.9 |
| 1902 | 1,075 | #63 | 4.1 |
| 1901 | 928 | #65 | 3.9 |
| 1900 | 1,177 | #68 | 3.9 |
| 1899 | 975 | #62 | 4.2 |
| 1898 | 1,062 | #65 | 4.1 |
| 1897 | 966 | #64 | 4.1 |
| 1896 | 1,054 | #60 | 4.4 |
| 1895 | 1,026 | #60 | 4.4 |
| 1894 | 1,035 | #61 | 4.6 |
| 1893 | 926 | #63 | 4.3 |
| 1892 | 972 | #59 | 4.6 |
| 1891 | 867 | #59 | 4.7 |
| 1890 | 924 | #56 | 4.9 |
| 1889 | 891 | #55 | 5.0 |
| 1888 | 775 | #64 | 4.3 |
| 1887 | 664 | #59 | 4.5 |
| 1886 | 702 | #57 | 4.9 |
| 1885 | 649 | #57 | 4.9 |
| 1884 | 584 | #60 | 4.5 |
| 1883 | 529 | #59 | 4.7 |
| 1882 | 506 | #61 | 4.7 |
| 1881 | 416 | #64 | 4.5 |
| 1880 | 414 | #60 | 4.5 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Stella a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Stella has been given almost only to girls: 382 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Stella: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Stella, and how old are they?
109,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 53% of the 207,288 Americans ever recorded as Stella. The median Stella alive today is 12 years old; half are between 7 and 24.
The 2020 Census counted 93,368 people named Stella (93,238 women and girls, 130 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 89,778 born in the U.S. The Census count is 4% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 5,640 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 12,500 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 4,450 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 2,620 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 23,500 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 59,800 |
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 Stella born?
The states with the most babies named Stella are California, Texas and Florida, with 24% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 389 | #69 | 1.0× |
| Texas | 358 | #69 | 0.8× |
| Florida | 256 | #55 | 0.8× |
| New York | 241 | #52 | 1.0× |
| Pennsylvania | 172 | #46 | 1.2× |
| Ohio | 163 | #47 | 0.9× |
| New Jersey | 145 | #47 | 1.1× |
| Michigan | 136 | #43 | 1.0× |
| North Carolina | 134 | #64 | 0.8× |
| Illinois | 131 | #59 | 0.9× |
Where Stella is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Stella is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 1.6 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 Stella 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 4 names spelled alike, given to 207,878 babies since 1880, Stella is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 4,136 of their 4,178 babies (99%), 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 Stella
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 Stella and names like it
- Compare Stella and SteelyBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sStella peaked in 2018.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Stella since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Stella: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2018The year the most babies were named Stella.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Stella alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with SMost given first.