girl's name
Celeste
sə-LEST
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 85,102
the United States
#188
2025 births
Celeste is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "heavenly." It comes from caelestis, of the sky — the root behind celestial, behind the celesta, and behind the ceiling above your head.
- Celeste is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,662 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,995 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Celeste over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 139 |
| 1890s | 295 |
| 1900s | 429 |
| 1910s | 1,163 |
| 1920s | 1,313 |
| 1930s | 1,104 |
| 1940s | 2,167 |
| 1950s | 6,679 |
| 1960s | 6,977 |
| 1970s | 5,542 |
| 1980s | 5,329 |
| 1990s | 9,820 |
| 2000s | 10,561 |
| 2010s | 6,838 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,322 |
What Celeste means
Celeste means heavenly, or of the sky. The Latin caelum meant both sky and heaven without distinguishing them, so the name carries the physical and the divine at once.
Where Celeste comes from
Celeste is the French and Italian form of the Latin Caelestis, from caelum, sky or heaven. The same root gives celestial and, less obviously, ceiling — by way of the Old French ciel, the sky of a room. It was used in Christian Latin for those dedicated to heavenly things, and four popes took the name Celestine. The celesta, the keyboard instrument with a bell-like tone used in the Nutcracker, is named from the same word for its heavenly sound.
Celeste in use
Our data shows Celeste peaking in 2025 — still climbing — and it first appears in our records in 1881. It belongs with Aurelia, Evangeline and Vivienne in the current revival of long Latin-rooted names, and is among the few whose root also names a musical instrument.
How popular is Celeste?
In 2025, Celeste was given to 1,662 babies in the United States, ranking #188 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Celeste is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Celeste is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Céleste | Céleste is Celeste written with an acute accent in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #55 in France, against #1,424 for Celeste. | 8,510 |
| Célèste | Célèste is a rare spelling of Celeste, written with an acute accent and recorded about 20 times, mostly in France. | 20 |
Names that peaked alongside Celeste
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Celeste also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Celeste over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Celeste
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Celeste in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Celeste
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Celeste — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Celeste
What does the name Celeste mean?
Celeste means "heavenly," from the Latin caelestis, of the sky.
Is Celeste related to the word ceiling?
Yes — by way of the Old French ciel, the sky of a room, from the same Latin caelum.
What is a celesta?
A keyboard instrument with a bell-like tone, named from the same root for its heavenly sound.
How popular is the name Celeste?
In 2025, Celeste was given to 1,662 babies in the United States, ranking #188 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Celeste a girl's or a boy's name?
Celeste is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Celeste?
Celeste has 2 syllables.
When was Celeste most popular?
Celeste peaked in 2025, when 1,662 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Celeste?
Celeste is usually shortened to Lestie and Celly.
Is Celeste a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Celeste currently ranks #55 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.