Estelita
A Spanish diminutive of Estela, meaning "little star".
Name Census estimates that about 51 living Americans carry the first name Estelita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Estelita today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Estelita births was 1954 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Estelita. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Estelita. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
51
~ 1 in 6,720,673 Americans
Peak year
1954
11 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2005 SSA rank
#17,307
Tracked since 1950
Census
Estelita in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,348 people with the first name Estelita, which placed it at #10,033 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#10,033
National first-name rank
People counted
1.3K
1,348 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
81.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Estelita
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Estelita is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Black (3.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Estelita described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Estelita at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander81.8% · 1,102
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 142
- Black or African American3.0% · 41
- White2.3% · 31
- Two or more races2.1% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
Popularity
Estelita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Estelita from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 42 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Estelita 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 Estelita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Estelita
The name Estelita originates from the Spanish language and has its roots in the word "estrella," which means "star" in English. It is a diminutive form of the name Estela, which is derived from the Latin word "stella," also meaning "star." This connection to celestial bodies gives the name a poetic and romantic quality.
Estelita was likely first used as a given name in Spain or in Spanish-speaking regions of Latin America during the Middle Ages or Renaissance period. The use of diminutive forms of names was common in many European cultures at the time, often conveying affection or endearment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Estelita can be found in the literary works of the renowned Spanish writer and poet Federico García Lorca, who lived from 1898 to 1936. In his poetry, Lorca often used names with celestial connotations, reflecting his fascination with the natural world and the beauty of the night sky.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Estelita. One such figure was Estelita del Llano (1892-1958), a Mexican singer and actress who became famous for her performances in the early 20th century. Her career spanned both the silent film era and the golden age of Mexican cinema.
Another prominent Estelita was Estelita Rodriguez (1928-2008), a Cuban-American author and educator. She was known for her contributions to children's literature, particularly her stories that celebrated Hispanic culture and traditions.
In the field of art, Estelita Quintero (1916-2002) was a renowned Venezuelan painter and sculptor. Her vibrant and colorful works often depicted scenes from everyday life in her home country, and she is regarded as one of the most influential Latin American artists of the 20th century.
Estelita Muñoz (1937-2022) was a Chilean singer and actress who gained widespread popularity in Latin America and Spain during the 1960s and 1970s. Her unique voice and captivating performances earned her numerous awards and accolades throughout her long career.
The name Estelita has been carried through the centuries, evoking images of starry skies and celestial beauty. Its rich cultural heritage and artistic associations have made it a cherished name within the Spanish-speaking world, with a timeless charm that continues to endure.
People
Estelita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Estelita as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Estelita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Estelita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 51 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Estelita 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 6,720,673 US residents.
Is Estelita a common name?
We classify Estelita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 69 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Estelita most popular?
The single biggest year for Estelita was 1954, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Estelita is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Estelita in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,348 people with the name Estelita, or 0.45 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,033 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Estelita in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Estelita?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Estelita appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,340 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Estelita?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Estelita is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Black (3.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Estelita most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Estelita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (1,102 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Estelita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Estelita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Estelita 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 Estelita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Estelita 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 Estelita 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.
How many Americans are named Estelita?
You can see how many people have the name Estelita on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.