Stella is a female given name. It is derived from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word for ''

star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

''. It has been in use in

English-speaking countries The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...

since it was first used by

Philip Sidney Sir Philip Sidney (30 November 1554 – 17 October 1586) was an English poet, courtier, scholar and soldier who is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan era, Elizabethan age. His works include a sonnet sequence, ' ...

in '' Astrophel and Stella'', his 1580s sonnet sequence. Use might also have increased due to '' Stella Maris'' as a title for the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. Alternately, it is a feminine version of the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

name '' Stylianos'', meaning '' pillar''.

Popularity

Stella is a well-used name in the 2010s, among the most popular names for newborn girls in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, United States, and Wales.

List of people with the given name Stella

Arts and entertainment

* Stella, stage name of Stella Huang, Singaporean singer-actress * Stella Abrera (born 1978), Filipino-American ballet dancer *

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. A member of Yiddish Theater's Adler dynasty, Adler began acting at a young age. She shifted to producing, directing, and teaching, founding the ...

(1901–1992), American actress and acting teacher *

Stella Arbenina Stella Arbenina, Baroness Meyendorff (Стелла Арбенина; 27 September 1884 – 26 April 1976) was a Russian-born English actress. She was born Stella Zoe Whishaw in St. Petersburg tRobert Cattley Whishaw and Mary (née Gisiko) Her ...

(1884–1976), Russian-born actress * Stella Bennett or Benee (born 2000), New Zealand singer-songwriter * Stella Benson (1892–1933), English feminist, travel writer, and novelist * Stella Blandy (1836–1925), French woman of letters, feminist * Stella Bowen (1893–1947), Australian artist * Stella Brennan (born 1974), New Zealand artist, curator, and essayist * Stella Chitty (1928–2005), British stage manager * Stella Chiweshe (1946–2023), Zimbabwean musician * Stella Corkery (born 1960), New Zealand artist and musician * Stella Dadzie (born 1952), British writer, historian, educationalist and activist * Stella Feehily (born 1969), London-born Irish playwright and actress * Stella Miles Franklin (1879-1954), Australian novelist * Stella Keitel, American actress * Stella Kon (born 1944), Singaporean playwright * Stella Weiner Kriegshaber (1879–1966), American pianist * Stella LeSaint (1881–1948), American silent film actress * Stella Linden (1919–2005), actress and writer * Stella Madden, English actress * Stella Maessen (born 1953), Dutch singer * Stella Maeve (born 1989), American actress * Stella Malucchi (born 1977), Thai model and actress * Stella March (1915–2010), pen name of a British romance novelist * Stella Maxwell (born 1990), Northern Irish model * Stella Meghie, Canadian film director and screenwriter * Stella Moray (1923–2006), English actress *

Stella Mwangi Stella Nyambura Mwangi (born 1 September 1986) is a Kenyan-Norwegian singer, rapper, and songwriter. Her work has been used in films such as '' American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile'' and '' Save the Last Dance 2'', and also in TV-series such a ...

(born 1986), Norwegian-Kenyan singer * Stella Parton (born 1949), American country music singer/songwriter, sister of Dolly Parton * Stella Pevsner (1921–2020), author of children's books * Stella Reid (born 1964), co-star of the Fox network reality television show ''Nanny 911'' * Stella Richman (1922–2002), British television producer * Stella Roman (1904–1992), Romanian operatic soprano * Stella Seah (born 1992), Singaporean singer-songwriter * Stella Soleil (born 1971), American pop and rock singer *

Stella Stevens Stella Stevens (born Estelle Caro Eggleston; October 1, 1938 – February 17, 2023) was an American actress. She was the mother of actor Andrew Stevens. Stevens began her acting career in 1959 in the film ''Say One for Me'', winning the Golden ...

(1934–2023), American model and actress born Estelle Eggleston *

Stella Steyn Stella Steyn (26 December 1907 – 21 July 1987) was an Irish artist. Early life Steyn was born in Dublin in 1907 to William Steyn (a dentist) and Bertha Jaffe, who met and married in Limerick, having moved to Ireland from Akmenė, Lithuania. S ...

(1907–1987), Irish artist * Stella Stocker (1858–1925), American composer and choral conductor *

Stella Stratigou Stella Stratigou (; 1931 – 9 October 2005) was a Greek actress. She played in theatre and films. She died on 9 October 2005. She was the sister of Stefanos, Aleka and Rena. Selected filmography References External links * 1931 bir ...

(1931–2005), Greek actress *

Stella Vander Stella Vander (born Stella Zelcer, also known as Stella; 12 December 1950) is a French singer, musician and record producer. Early years Born in Paris into a family of Polish immigrants, she began writing music in the early sixties together with ...

(born 1950), French singer and musician * Stella Vine (born 1969), English artist

Sports

* Stella Ashcroft (born 2002), gymnast from New Zealand * Stella Barsosio (born 1993), Kenyan long-distance runner * Stella Boumi (born 1988), Greek swimmer *

Stella Heiß Stella Heiß (born 15 January 1993 in Cologne) is a German curler from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. She played lead for Andrea Schöpp when she represented Germany at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Curling at the 2010 Winter Olympics, Curling. At sevente ...

(born 1993), German curler * Stella de Heij (born 1968), Dutch field hockey goalkeeper * Stela Posavec (born 1996), Croatian handball player * Stella Pilatou (born 1980), Greek long jumper * * Stella Tsikouna (born 1972), Greek discus thrower * Stella Zakharova (born 1963), Olympic gymnast for the former Soviet Union

Politics

* Stella Ambler (born 1966), Canadian politician * Stella Creasy (born 1977), British Member of Parliament * Stella Dupont (born 1973), French Member of Parliament * Stella Garza-Hicks (born 1953), former Republican legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado * Stella Goldschlag (1922–1994), German Jewish woman who collaborated with the Gestapo during World War II * Stella Gherman (born 1974), Moldovan Member of Parliament *

Stella Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading Stella Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading, Baroness Swanborough, Order of the British Empire, GBE (née Charnaud; 6 January 1894 – 22 May 1971) was an English philanthropist who is best remembered as the founder and chairman of the Women's Volunt ...

(1894–1971), British political and military figure * Stella Jantuan (born 1966), Moldovan politician * Stella Levy (1924–1999), Israeli soldier and politician * Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi (born 1962), Nigerian Minister of Aviation * Stella Maris Olalla (born 1943), Argentine politician *

Stella Omu Stella Unuezi Omu (born 22 December 1946) is a Nigerian politician who was elected Senator on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform in 1999 for the Delta South Senatorial District of Delta State. Background Omu is of Isoko origin. She ...

(born 1946), Nigerian politician * Stella Sigcau (1937–2006), Minister in the South African government and first female Prime Minister of the Transkei

Other

* Stella Baruk (born 1932), Iranian-born French teacher, mathematician, author and educationalist * Stella Burry (1897–1991), Canadian activist * Stella Cunliffe (1917–2012), British statistician * Stella Din-Jacob, Nigerian media executive, broadcast journalist, lawyer and Director of News at TVC Communications * Stella Immanuel (born 1965), Cameroonian-American physician, author, and pastor * Stella Koutros, American cancer epidemiologist * Stella Liebeck, American plaintiff in the "McDonald's coffee case" * Stella Manzie (born 1960), British public servant and civil servant * Stella Márquez (born 1937), former Colombian beauty queen and first Miss International * Stella Mary Newton (1901–2001), English fashion designer and dress historian * Stella Mason (c.1901?–1918), Muscogee/Creek freedman, subject to a known lawsuit over an estate * Stella Maxwell (born 1990), Northern Irish fashion model * Stella McCartney (born 1971), British fashion designer * Stella Nickell (born 1943), American murderer *

Stella Obasanjo Stella Obasanjo (14 November 1945 – 23 October 2005) was the First Lady of Nigeria from 1999 until her death. She was the wife of former President of Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo, although she was not the First Lady in 1976, when Obasa ...

(1945–2005), former First Lady of Nigeria * Stella Rimington (born 1935), British author and Director General of MI5 * Stella Ross-Craig (1906–2006), British botanic illustrator * Stella de Silva (1918–2012), paediatrician from Sri Lanka * Stella Hackel Sims (born 1926), Director of the United States Mint from 1977 to 1981 * Stella Tennant (1970–2020), Scottish model *

Stella Tillyard Stella Tillyard FRSL (born 1957) is a British author and historian, educated at Oxford and Harvard Universities and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In 1999 her bestselling book ''Aristocrats'' was made into a six-part series for ...

(born 1957), British author and historian * Stella Young (1982–2014), Australian comedian, journalist and disability rights activist

Fictional characters

* Stella (''Winx Club''), one of the main characters of ''

Winx Club ''Winx Club'' is an animated television series co-produced by Rainbow S.p.A., Rainbow and, later, Nickelodeon. It was created and directed by Italian animator Iginio Straffi. It premiered on 28January 2004, becoming a ratings success in Ita ...

'' * Stella a female snow goose who is Boris' girlfriend and appears in ''Balto III: Wings of Change'' * Stella, female protagonist of an anime movie '' Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem'' * Stella of the Ars Goetia, a character in the animated series ''

Helluva Boss ''Helluva Boss'' is an American adult animated musical black comedy web series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. It revolves around the misadventures of the employees of I.M.P., a company in Hell that offers hitman services in the real ...

'', voiced by Georgina Leahy * Stella Bains, a character from the movie ''

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985 ...

'' * Stella Bonasera, character in ''CSI: NY'' * Stella Bonnaro, character in ''Cowboy Bebop'' * Stella Chernak, character in the TV drama ''Peyton Place'' * Stella the Storyteller, fictional character from the TV series ''

Barney & Friends ''Barney & Friends'' is an American children's television series created by Sheryl Leach targeted at children ages two to five. The flagship production of the ''Barney'' franchise, it originally aired on PBS under the PBS Kids brand from Ap ...

'' * Stella Crawford, character in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' * Stella Dagostino, character in '' Rush'' * Stella Graybur, a character in ''

Poppy Playtime ''Poppy Playtime'' is an episodic survival horror video game series first developed and published in 2021 by American indie developer Mob Entertainment. The game is set in an abandoned factory owned by the fictional toy company Playtime Co. ...

'' * Stella Kowalski, character in the play ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' * Stella Loussier, character in the anime ''Gundam SEED Destiny'' * Stella Malone, character in the Disney Channel series ''Jonas'' * Stella Mann (television character), character in the German soap opera ''Verbotene Liebe'' (''Forbidden Love'') * Stella Maynard, character in ''Anne of the Island'' * Stella Moon, character in the Scottish BBC drama TV series '' Monarch of the Glen'' * Stella Morris, title character of

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

series '' Stella'' * Stella Mudd, wife of Harcourt Fenton "Harry" Mudd. from ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' " I, Mudd" * Stella Price, character in the British soap opera ''Coronation Street'' * Stella Nicholls, protagonist of ''Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'' * Stella Takachiho, a character in the ''

Revue Starlight is a Japanese media franchise created in 2017 by Bushiroad, Nelke Planning and Kinema Citrus. It primarily consists of a series of musicals, debuting between September 22 and 24, 2017 at the AiiA 2.5 Theater Tokyo; a 12-episode anime t ...

'' franchise * Stella Urquhart, character in the 1983 film ''Local Hero'' * Stella Vermillion, a mage knight from '' Chivalry of a Failed Knight'' * Stella Zhau, from the American animated series ''

The Loud House ''The Loud House'' is an American animated sitcom created by Chris Savino that premiered on Nickelodeon on May 2, 2016. The series revolves around the chaotic everyday life of a boy named Lincoln Loud, who is the middle child and only son in a ...

'' * Stella, the ideal woman in the work of Norwegian poet Henrik Wergeland * Stella is the name of the Glinda analogue in '' The Wizard of the Emerald City'' series by Alexander Volkov * Stella, a female Galah in the '' Angry Birds'' series including the spin-off ''

Angry Birds Stella ''Angry Birds Stella'', listed as ''Angry Birds Slingshot Stella'', was a 2014 puzzle video game and the second spin-off from the '' Angry Birds'' series, developed by Rovio Entertainment. Announced on February 13, 2014, Rovio stated that the ...

'' * Stella Klauser, a non-playable character in ''

Final Fantasy V is a 1992 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square. It is the fifth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainmen ...

'' * Queen Stella, a non-playable character in ''

Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main ''Final Fantasy'' series. The plot focuses on a wa ...

'' * Stella, a non-playable character in '' Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon'' * Stella, a supporting character in '' Totally Spies!'' in which she is the mother of super spy

Clover Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversit ...

* Stella, a character in the 2006 film '' Over the Hedge'' * Stella, one of the main characters in the series '' Trulli Tales'' * Stella, the guardian of the Sparkle Theater in '' Princess Peach: Showtime!'' * Stella the Star Fairy, a character from the '' Rainbow Magic'' book franchise * Stella, the main protagonist of the video game '' Spiritfarer''

Name day

* ''

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

'' : 14 July * ''

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

'' : 25 December * ''

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

'' : 26 November * ''

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

'' : 4 March * ''

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

'' : 11 May * ''

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

'' : 15 August * ''

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

'' : 11 May