[ 2 syll. (s)tel-la, st-e-lla ] The baby girl name Stella is pronounced as STAHL-aa- †. Stella is of Latin origin. It is used mainly in the English, German, and Italian languages. It is literally from the word stella meaning 'star'. The first name was initially derived from 'Stella Maris', a title for the Virgin Mary meaning 'star of the sea'; from the medieval period it has been bestowed simply in reference to the brightness and beauty of a star. It first appeared in the 16th century from Sir Philip Sidney's sequence Astrophel and Stella (1591), as sonnets from Astrophel, a name meaning 'star lover', to his lady Stella. The name later appeared in Jonathan Swift's letters to his friend Esther Johnson, published as Journal to Stella (1766); the name Esther also means 'star'. The form Estella was later borne by a lead character in the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations (1861). The name saw a revival in the 18th century.
Stella has 20 variant transcriptions that are used in English and foreign languages. Variation transcriptions of the name used in English include Estee, Estela, Estell, Estella (used in German and Spanish as well), Estelle (used in French as well), Estrella (used in Spanish as well), Sidra, Steile, Stelah, Stele, Stell, Stellah, Stelle, and Stellina. The familiar form Star is another English variant.
Stella is popular as a baby girl name, and it is also considered trendy. Its usage peaked in 1902 with 0.384% of baby girls being given the name Stella. It was #63 in rank then. The baby name has markedly fallen in popularity since then. In 2012, it ranked at #62 with a usage of 0.206%, enjoying a minor resurgence in the recent decade. Among all girl names in its family, Stella was the most popular. Stella was used 8 times more than the next most popular name, Estrella, in 2012.
† Pronunciation for Stella: S as in "see (S.IY)" ; T as in "tee (T.IY)" ; AH as in "mud (M.AH.D)" ; L as in "lay (L.EY)" ; AA as in "odd (AA.D)"
Details of famous persons named Stella:
Fashion Designer Stella McCartney, born 13 September 1971, London, England.
Runner Stella Walsh, born Stanislawa Walasiewiczowna 3 April 1911 - 4 December 1980, Wierchownen, Poland.