Costella
A girl's name of Italian origin with 428 recorded U.S. births.
Meaning & Origin
rib bone
Costella is a girl's baby name of Italian origin, a variant of Costella or Costa, from the Latin costa meaning 'rib' or 'coast.' In Italian regional naming traditions, the name was used in both its coastal geographic and anatomical senses, with the rib carrying associations with life and strength.
Costella has the warm, operatic character of Southern Italian names — a name that sounds like it belongs in a Sicilian village square, full of sunshine and generations of family heritage. It's rare outside Italian communities, making it genuinely distinctive.
EtymologyShow more
Costella is built from 8 letters and three syllables — a longer structure that creates presence and allows for natural nickname formation. Within the Italian naming tradition, this length is typical of names that preserve their full historical form, carrying their etymology on the surface.
The interplay of consonants and vowels in Costella creates its characteristic melodic, romantic quality. Multi-syllable names often carry remnants of compound constructions — two or more meaningful elements fused together — even when the original components are no longer transparent to modern speakers.
At a Glance
Popularity Over Time
Costella has 47+ years of history in the U.S., first appearing in 1912.
Popularity by Decade
| Decade | Births | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 37 | ▼ |
| 1950s | 83 | ▼ |
| 1940s | 119 | ▲ |
| 1930s | 102 | ▲ |
| 1920s | 51 | ▲ |
| 1910s | 36 | — |
The Story of Costella
A Baby Boomer name
Peaking in 1948, Costella is a timeless Baby Boomer name. Girls named Costella are most likely born between 1938 and 1958.
How rare is Costella?
With fewer than 500 recorded births, Costella is an exceptionally rare name — a one-of-a-kind choice.
The journey through the decades
First appeared in the records in 1912, grew steadily over the decades, peaked in the 1940s with 119 births that decade, and has gracefully settled into a quieter chapter.
Costella by the numbers
- Would fill 9 school buses
- Meeting one Costella per day would take 1.2 years
Year-by-Year Data
View complete yearly data(47 years, 1912–1967)
| Year | Births | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 5 | #6977 |
| 1966 | 5 | #6758 |
| 1964 | 5 | #6944 |
| 1962 | 6 | #5987 |
| 1961 | 7 | #5397 |
| 1960 | 9 | #4508 |
| 1959 | 5 | #6438 |
| 1957 | 10 | #3977 |
| 1956 | 7 | #4918 |
| 1955 | 7 | #4823 |
| 1954 | 14 | #3047 |
| 1953 | 14 | #2952 |
| 1952 | 7 | #4573 |
| 1951 | 9 | #3763 |
| 1950 | 10 | #3471 |
| 1949 | 10 | #3426 |
| 1948 | 18 | #2341 |
| 1947 | 15 | #2660 |
| 1946 | 14 | #2636 |
| 1945 | 11 | #2774 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration. Showing years with 5+ recorded births.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Costella a boy's or girl's name?
When was Costella most popular?
How popular is the name Costella?
Explore More
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration, 1912–1967