Stellan
A Scandinavian name meaning "calm, still, or steady".
Name Census estimates that about 1,396 living Americans carry the first name Stellan. It is a predominantly male name (98.8% of registrations). The average person named Stellan today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Stellan births was 2024 (132 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Stellan. 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
- • Stellan is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 9 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 245,526 Americans
Peak year
2024
132 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,441
Tracked since 1998
Gender
Gender distribution for Stellan
Stellan leans heavily male at 98.8% of total registrations, but 17 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Stellan as a male name
- Ranked #1,441 in 2024
- 126 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (126 births)
Stellan as a female name
- Ranked #14,996 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (6 births)
Popularity
Stellan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Stellan from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 695 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
Stellan 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 Stellan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Stellans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Stellan, while Oregon, North Carolina, Massachusetts recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 34 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Stellan
The name Stellan is a Swedish masculine given name derived from the Old Norse word "stiǫrnu," meaning "star." The name's etymology can be traced back to the Viking Age, around the 8th to 11th centuries AD, when the Norse people inhabited Scandinavia and parts of Northern Europe.
Historically, the name Stellan was used among the Norse people, who were known for their seafaring and navigation skills. The reference to stars in the name's meaning likely reflects the importance of celestial bodies in navigation during that era. The earliest recorded instances of the name Stellan date back to the 13th century in Sweden.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Stellan was Stellan Arvidsson, a Swedish clergyman and writer who lived from 1455 to 1519. He is known for his work "Frihetsvisorna" (Songs of Freedom), which played a significant role in the Swedish struggle for independence from the Kalmar Union.
Another historical figure with the name Stellan was Stellan Pettersson, a Swedish pirate and naval commander who lived from 1624 to 1696. He is remembered for his daring exploits during the Scanian War, where he commanded a fleet of privateers against Danish and Dutch ships.
In more recent history, the name Stellan gained prominence through the Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård, born in 1951. He has appeared in numerous films, including "Good Will Hunting," "The Hunt for Red October," and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. Skarsgård's sons, Alexander, Bill, and Valter, have also become successful actors, carrying on the family's legacy in the entertainment industry.
Another notable individual with the name Stellan is Stellan Nilsson, a Swedish professional golfer born in 1936. He won the British Open in 1966 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009.
Lastly, Stellan Wollter, a Swedish politician and diplomat born in 1920, served as the Swedish Ambassador to the United Nations from 1977 to 1983 and played a crucial role in mediating conflicts and promoting international cooperation during his tenure.
People
Stellan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Stellan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Stellan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Stellan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,396 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Stellan 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 245,526 US residents.
Is Stellan a common name?
We classify Stellan as "Rare". It ranks above 92% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,407 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Stellan most popular?
The single biggest year for Stellan was 2024, when 132 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Stellan is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Stellan a male name?
Yes, 98.8% of people registered as Stellan in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.