Estela has been given to 9,018 girls in the United States since 1903, and its peak year is 2022 — when 134 girls received it — confirming that this Spanish star name is actively rising rather than coasting on legacy. After more than a century in the American record, Estela is more popular now than at almost any previous point in its history.
Spanish Roots: A Star by Another Name
Estela is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Estelle, derived from the Latin stella, meaning "star." The root connects Estela to a glittering family of names including Stella, Estelle, and Estella — all of which draw on the same ancient celestial imagery. The specifically Spanish and Portuguese spelling sets Estela apart from its Italian and French relatives, grounding the name in Iberian cultural tradition while keeping the universal star meaning fully intact. In Spain and Latin America, Estela has been a given name for generations, carrying the warmth of a grandmother's name without feeling dated. For more names from the Spanish tradition, see our Spanish names collection.
The Star Name Revival and Estela's Place in It
The entire Stella family has been experiencing a major revival in American naming culture since the early 2000s, driven by the broader return to classical, elegant names with literary and celestial associations. Stella became a top-fifty name by the 2010s; Estella and Estelle followed on its coattails. Estela occupies a particularly interesting position in this revival: it carries the same meaning and phonetic beauty as Stella, but the Spanish spelling signals cultural specificity — a connection to Latin American heritage, to the Spanish-speaking world, to a naming tradition that has its own long history independent of the Anglo-American trend cycle. That combination of beauty and cultural authenticity is exactly what modern parents are looking for. Estela's peak in 2022 makes it one of the most timely names on this entire list.
Who Chooses Estela Today
Estela is a natural choice for parents with Mexican, Argentine, Colombian, or broader Latin American heritage who want a name that is simultaneously rooted in their own culture and instantly lovely to English-speaking ears. It also appeals strongly to parents without that heritage who love the Stella sound but want something slightly less ubiquitous. Estela pairs beautifully with both Spanish and Anglo middle names: Estela Rosa, Estela Jane, Estela Renee. Sibling combinations with Valentina, Marisol, or Emilio feel cohesive and warmly Latinate. For a name that has been on birth certificates for over a century and is still finding new admirers, Estela is one of the most satisfying choices in this dataset.