Stella is the Latin word for "star". The poet Philip Sidney used it in his 16th-century sonnet cycle Astrophel and Stella, and the name has been a classic ever since; Tennessee Williams gave it to Blanche's sister in A Streetcar Named Desire. In the United States Stella ranked number 656 in 2000, rose into the top 100 by 2010, peaked at number 38 in 2018 and holds number 52 among girls in 2025.