Astella
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "star".
Name Census estimates that about 229 living Americans carry the first name Astella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Astella today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Astella births was 2022 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Astella. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
229
~ 1 in 1,496,744 Americans
Peak year
2022
36 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,158
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Astella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Astella from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 126 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Astella by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Astella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Astellas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Astella
The name Astella is a feminine given name with roots tracing back to ancient Greek and Latin origins. It is derived from the Greek word "aster," meaning "star," and the Latin word "stella," also meaning "star." The combination of these two words suggests that the name Astella is associated with the celestial bodies and the night sky.
During the Byzantine era, the name Astella was occasionally used among Greek-speaking populations, particularly in regions influenced by the Eastern Roman Empire. It was sometimes given to children born under auspicious astrological circumstances or during particularly bright celestial events.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Astella can be found in a manuscript from the 9th century, where it is mentioned as the name of a minor noblewoman from the city of Constantinople. However, the name did not gain widespread popularity until the later medieval period.
In the 12th century, there is a record of an Astella de Montfort, a French noblewoman who was a member of the prestigious Montfort family. She was born in 1181 and played a role in the political events of her time, though her specific contributions are not well documented.
During the Renaissance period, the name Astella gained some traction among Italian families, particularly in the city-states of Florence and Venice. One notable figure was Astella Boccaccio, a distant relative of the famous writer Giovanni Boccaccio, who lived in the 15th century and was known for her patronage of the arts.
In the 16th century, Astella Manfredi was an Italian painter active in the city of Bologna. Her works, while not widely acclaimed during her lifetime, have been rediscovered and appreciated by art historians in more recent times. She was born in 1532 and died in 1608.
Another notable figure was Astella de' Medici, a member of the powerful Medici family of Florence. Born in 1590, she was a patron of the arts and sciences, and her court was a hub for intellectual and cultural activities during the Renaissance.
During the 17th century, the name Astella appeared in various parts of Europe, though it remained relatively uncommon. One example is Astella von Schönburg, a German noblewoman born in 1628, who was known for her philanthropic efforts and support of educational institutions.
While the name Astella has not been as widely used in more recent centuries, it has maintained a certain mystique and association with the celestial realm, reflecting its origins and historical connections.
People
Astella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Astella as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Astella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Astella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 229 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Astella going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,496,744 US residents.
Is Astella a common name?
We classify Astella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 230 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Astella most popular?
The single biggest year for Astella was 2022, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Astella is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Astella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Astella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Astella in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Astella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Astella in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Astella can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Astella?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.