girl's name
Estella
es-TEL-uh
- Origin Spanish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 44,632
the United States
#510
2025 births
Estella means star, and Dickens chose the name deliberately — Great Expectations gives it to a girl raised to be beautiful and unreachable, which is what a star is. Our data marks the name reviving after a century of decline.
- Estella is a name of Spanish origin.
- Peaked in 1921, when 638 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 5,706 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Estella 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 | 2,326 |
| 1890s | 3,174 |
| 1900s | 3,068 |
| 1910s | 5,103 |
| 1920s | 5,797 |
| 1930s | 3,926 |
| 1940s | 3,742 |
| 1950s | 3,385 |
| 1960s | 2,088 |
| 1970s | 1,200 |
| 1980s | 800 |
| 1990s | 617 |
| 2000s | 1,557 |
| 2010s | 3,053 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,139 |
What Estella means
Estella means a star. The Latin stella names the object directly, so any sense of guidance or distance comes from the star rather than from the word.
Where Estella comes from
Estella is a Latin and Spanish form of Stella, the Latin for a star, cognate with the Greek aster and the English star itself. Dickens gave the name to Estella Havisham in Great Expectations, raised by Miss Havisham to be admired and out of reach — a choice the novel makes explicit. Estelle is the French form, and Esther is unrelated despite the resemblance, being Persian or Babylonian in origin.
Estella in use
Estella peaked in the United States in 1921, when 638 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 510th in the United States on 581 births, 2394th in England and Wales on 12 and 6783rd in France on 5, across 44,632 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1880, so the revival follows a century of decline.
How popular is Estella?
In 2025, Estella was given to 581 babies in the United States, ranking #510 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Estella 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.
Names that peaked alongside Estella
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Estella also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Estella over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Estella
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.
Estella 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 Estella
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Estella — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Estella
What does the name Estella mean?
A star — the Latin stella.
Is the Dickens name deliberate?
Great Expectations makes the point explicit — she is raised to be admired and unreachable.
Is Esther related?
No. Esther is Persian or Babylonian and the resemblance is coincidental.
Is Estella coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, at 510th in the United States.
How popular is the name Estella?
In 2025, Estella was given to 581 babies in the United States, ranking #510 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Estella a girl's or a boy's name?
Estella is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Estella?
Estella has 3 syllables.
When was Estella most popular?
Estella peaked in 1921, when 638 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Estella?
Estella is usually shortened to Essie.
Is Estella a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Estella currently ranks #510 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.