How to say it
STEL · la
/ˈstɛl.ə/
Feminine
Stella
Star
What it means
Latin for 'star.' First used as a given name by Sir Philip Sidney in his 1591 sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella, where Stella is the woman the poet pines for.
Stella is straight from the Latin word for star. Philip Sidney coined it as an English given name in his 1591 sequence Astrophel and Stella, addressed to a fictional beloved whose Latin name means 'star-lover.' It entered regular use in the 19th century alongside the Victorian fascination with celestial and Latinate names. Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire put it on a different cultural map in 1947 (Stanley's famous bellow). The name dropped through the mid-20th century and returned in the 2010s as part of the vintage revival. Common shorts include Star and the diminutive Stellina in Italian-influenced families.
Popularity over time
peaked at #38 in 2018, currently #52 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Marlon Brando's STELLAAAA! from A Streetcar Named Desire is the indelible cultural reference for anyone over 30.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Stella McCartney British fashion designer, Paul McCartney's daughter
- Stella Kowalski Marlon Brando's character's wife in A Streetcar Named Desire
- Stella Adler American acting teacher, taught Brando
Spelling variants
- Estelle
- Estella
- Estrella
Names with the same feeling
See Stella from another angle
By meaning
By style