Girls' name · peaked in 1889
Stella name popularity since 1925
135,932 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Stella. Half of them were born in 2010 or earlier, so the typical Stella is about 16 years old in 2026. Stella peaked in 1889 as the #55 name for girls, and it ranked #52 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 135,932
- Named Stella, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1889
- #55 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #52
- for girls in 2025 (4,136 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.8% girls
- 135,728 girls · 204 boys
- Most popular in
- New Mexico
- 1.85× its national share
Peak year is the year Stella made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Stella births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 2018. Measured as a share of all babies, Stella peaked earlier, in 1889.
- Steepest fall: Between 1949 and 1954, Stella's share of baby girls fell by 38%, from 1 in 1,400 to 1 in 2,280.
- Fastest rise: Between 1999 and 2004, it became 3.5× more common, from 1 in 5,690 baby girls to 1 in 1,640.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Stella's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Stella.
Decade by decade
Babies named Stella in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 10,198 | 48 | – |
| 1930s | 11,206 | 82 | #187 |
| 1940s | 11,363 | 20 | #198 |
| 1950s | 8,591 | 11 | #305 |
| 1960s | 4,957 | 0 | #411 |
| 1970s | 2,563 | 5 | #629 |
| 1980s | 1,867 | 0 | #996 |
| 1990s | 1,798 | 0 | #1,328 |
| 2000s | 11,843 | 0 | #250 |
| 2010s | 44,225 | 33 | #51 |
| 2020–25 | 27,117 | 5 | #52 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
44.3% of babies named Stella from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Stella is most popular
The index compares Stella's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Stella.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 1.85× | 1,372 |
| Colorado | 1.53× | 2,525 |
| Kentucky | 1.53× | 3,421 |
| Arizona | 1.42× | 2,472 |
| Nevada | 1.37× | 656 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Stella's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Stella.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Stella (1889).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data