Gender:

Female

Meaning:

star (from Latin: stella)

History & etymology:

Stella is a short form of Estella as well as a separate name in its own right.

The name means ‘star’ in Latin. It had been used in the Middle Ages as a byname of Virgin Mary. Stella was introduced into English as a given name in the 16th century by Sir Philip Sidney. Apparently looking for an extraordinary name for the subject of his sonnets (Astrophel and Stella), he came up with Stella.

There is no saint known by the name Stella but, as mentioned above, the Blessed Virgin Mary is sometimes referred to as Stella Maris, ‘Star of the Sea’.

Alternative spellings & nicknames:

Estella, Estela, Estelah, Estele, Estell, Estelle, Stela, Stelah, Stele, Stellah, Stelle

Similar names in other languages & name days:

Czech Republic
4th March: Stela

France
11th May: Estelle

Germany
21st July: Stella

Hungary
14th July: Stella

Italy
11th May: Stella

Poland
14th July, 15th August: Stella

Spain
3rd May, 11th May, 30th May: Estela
15th August: Estrella

Sweden
15th August: Stella

USA
21st December: Stella, Estella, Estelle

Famous people named Stella:

Stella Adler (1901 - 1922) - American stage actress
Stella Allen (2004-) - American actress
Stella Gibbons (1902 - 1989) - English author, journalist and poet
Stella Hudgens (1995-) - American actress, sister of Vanessa Hudgens
Stella LeSaint (1881 - 1948) - American silent film actress
Stella Maeve (1989-) - American actress
Stella Maxwell (1990-) - Belgian-Irish model
Stella McCartney (1971-) - English fashion designer, daughter of Paul McCartney
Stella Moray (1923 - 2006) - English actress
Stella Mwangi (1986-) - Kenyan-Norwegian rapper and songwriter
Stella Obasanjo (1945 - 2005) - former First Lady of Nigeria
Stella Parton (1949-) - American country singer
Stella Stevens (1938-) - American actress
Stella Steyn (1907 - 1987) - Irish artist
Stella Tennant (1970-) - Scottish  model
Stella Vine (1969-) - English artist

Fun facts:

Popularity (2015)

USA: 51st
England and Wales: 388th
Canada: 27th
Australia: 42nd
New Zealand: 43rd

Czech Republic: 70th
France: 96th
Italy: 66th
Netherlands: 130th
Norway: 64th
Slovenia: 91st
Sweden: 22nd
Switzerland: 68th         

Lucky colors: blue, violet, pink
Lucky stone: Amethyst
Ruling planet: Uranus
Characteristics: original, charming, romantic, subtle, sweet, witty

Antonio Banderas named his daughter Stella.