Baby Name of the Day: Estelle

Vintage baby name Estelle shines with a night sky meaning. After years of being eclipsed by similar choices, it might be this name’s moment once again.

Thanks to Toni for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day and Kathleen for requesting an update.

WHAT DOES THE NAME ESTELLE MEAN?

During the late 19th century, Estelle, Stella, and Estella all charted in the US Top 1000.

All three names come from the Latin stella, meaning star.

It might have first been used as a given name in Aquitania, then part of Gaul; now known as southern France. Legend tells that, in the third century AD, the daughter of a powerful pagan family converted to Christianity. When she refused to recant, Estelle died a martyr. She’s been considered a saint, and the patron saint of girls, ever since.

Saint Estelle’s feast day is celebrated on May 11th, but little of her story is known beyond these broad details.

Estelle is slightly similar to Esther, an Old Testament name possibly meaning star. But Esther’s origins are Persian. Similarity to Estelle is coincidental, though it’s easy to imagine someone misunderstanding Estelle as a French form of Esther.

While the baby name Estelle was not known in the English-speaking world during the Middle Ages, various forms have been used in parts of the world ever since.

STELLA, ESTELLA, or ESTELLE?

The baby name Stella returned to the US Top 1000 in 1998, and steadily climbed in use. By 2010, it entered the US Top 100. It’s still there, years later, a staple choice for a daughter.

Stella succeed for so many reasons: it followed similar names like Bella and Ella up the charts. Popular culture gave us plenty of celebrities choosing the name. And the meaning fit, too, at a moment when parents were attracted to nature names and night sky favorites.

Estella returned to the US Top 1000 in 2012. It’s famous thanks to Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. It’s risen in use but remains under-the-radar.

As for the baby name Estelle, it also returned to the rankings in 2012, just like Estella.

FAMOUS WOMEN NAMED ESTELLE

In fact, various versions of the name have popped up in history and literature for centuries, including:

• Elizabethan poet Sir Philip Sidney penned Astrophel and Stella in 1581.
• Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations included character Estella Havisham, Pip’s crush with a heart of ice. It’s been adapted multiple times as a movie, most recently in 1998, with Gwyneth Paltrow in the role of Estella.
• Tennessee Williams’ 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire immortalized Stella as a long-suffering, down-on-her-luck Southern belle. Marlon Brando’s legendary scream “Stella” in 1951’s movie version remains unrivaled cinematic legend.
• The Ronettes scored a series of hits in the 1960s. Veronica “Ronnie” Spector was the breakout star, but her older sister Estelle Bennett was also one of the founding members.
• Australian model, musician, and activist Estelle Asmodelle was well known in the 1980s for her personal history, though in recent years, she is focused on academic work in astronomy and physics.
• Comedian Estelle Getty enjoyed a long career as an actress. Later in life, she was best known for playing Golden Girls matriarch Sophia Petrillo.
• TV show Seinfeld gave us Estelle Costanza, mother to George – played by actress Estelle Harris. And on another small screen staple, Friends, Joey’s bumbling agent was Estelle Leonard.
• Back in 2003, another TV series used the name: ITV’s Fortysomething profiled couple Paul and Estelle, along with their children and extended circle. It wasn’t a hit, but is noteworthy because it helped launch the career of Benedict Cumberbatch, who played their eldest son.
• British singer Estelle also put the name on expectant parents’ radar, especially following her 2008 hit “American Boy.”

Add it up, and there’s a timeless elegance to the baby name Estelle. 

PRINCESS ESTELLE

For another high profile Estelle, we turn to the Swedish throne.

Born in 2012, Princess Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary is the eldest daughter of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden. She holds the title Duchess of Östergötland. Thanks to a change in succession laws, she’s also the first born female heir apparent in Swedish history.

It was an unusual choice for the Swedish royal family. Speculation suggested that she was named for Countess Estelle Bernadotte.

American-born heiress Estelle Manville married into the Swedish royal family and served as an advocate for causes like the International Red Cross. Her husband, Count Folke Bernadotte, served as a mediator for the United Nations. He was assassinated while working in Jerusalem in 1948.

Regardless of the reasons the royals chose Estelle for the future queen, the name has gained in popularity since her birth.

Swedish royals rarely serve as inspiration for American parents’ choices, but it’s helping to raise the name’s profile internationally. 

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ESTELLE?

The baby name Estelle is growing in use in the United States, too.

In the year 2000, just 63 girls received the name. By 2022, there were over 400 newborn Estelles.

As of 2025, the baby name Estelle ranks a respectable #573. 

That’s many fewer than Stella, of course, and behind Estella, too. 

Even rarer forms include:

• Romance language Estela, heard in Spanish and Portuguese
• Estrella – the Spanish word for star – is climbing in the US 
• Estell has fallen out of use since the middle of the 1900s
• Nickname Este and Estee are typically associated with Esther, but could be rare Estelle forms, too

Speaking of nicknames, it’s the perfect name to lead to Ellie or Elle. 

It all suggests that Estelle has plenty of potential for revival. It’s the perfect baby name for parents seeking something tailored and feminine, an on-trend substitute for popular picks like Eleanor, Evelyn, and Eloise, as well as Isabelle and Annabelle.

The sweetly French appeal of Estelle puts it in the same company as Josephine, Vivienne, or Celeste, and it could be the perfect middle name alternative to Elizabeth and Katherine, too. 

VINTAGE AND SOPHISTICATED

The baby name Estelle blends vintage charm with plenty of sophistication. And yet, the night sky meaning and nickname potential keep this name feeling vibrant, too. 

With a strong, established sound, the Estelle is poised to return to the spotlight.

What do you think of the baby name Estelle?

First published on May 11, 2009, this post was substantially revised and re-published on January 2, 2024 and again on June 8, 2026.