2000
#16,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,637
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Estelle
A French surname derived from the Latin word "stella" meaning "star".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,858 Americans carry the last name Estelle. That puts it at #17,113 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 184,475 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Estelle surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 184,475
Census rank
#17,113
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,620 bearers of the surname Estelle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17113th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Estelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (32.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Estelle
The surname Estelle is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "estelle," meaning "star." The earliest known records of the name date back to the 12th century in the Île-de-France region, particularly in the areas around Paris.
In the 13th century, a variant spelling "Estelle" appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts, including the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Victor de Marseille, a cartulary (collection of charters) from a Benedictine abbey in Marseille. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of France by that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Estelle was Jean Estelle, a merchant from Bordeaux who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Étienne Estelle, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and was mentioned in contemporary chronicles for his bravery.
During the Renaissance period, the surname Estelle was associated with several notable figures in the arts and literature. Guillaume Estelle (1505-1567) was a renowned French poet and translator from Lyon, known for his adaptations of classical works. Marie Estelle (1560-1628), born in Avignon, was a celebrated painter and portraitist during the Baroque era.
In the 17th century, the surname Estelle appeared in several French place names, such as Estelle-sur-Loire (now part of Orléans) and Estelle-la-Ville (in Normandy). These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Estelle who had settled in those areas.
Another notable figure with the surname Estelle was Jacques Estelle (1592-1666), a French lawyer and historian who authored several works on the history of Normandy. His descendants continued to use the surname, and some of them became prominent figures in their own right, such as the 18th-century philosopher and writer François Estelle (1718-1790).
Over the centuries, the surname Estelle has spread beyond France to other parts of Europe and the world, carried by French emigrants and settlers. However, its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages in France, where it originated as a surname derived from the Old French word "estelle," meaning "star."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Estelle
Among Census respondents with the surname Estelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (32.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Estelle bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Estelle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.3% · 928
- Black or African American32.8% · 532
- Two or more races4.9% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Estelle
Estelle appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#16,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,793
+156 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 88 places
2020
#17,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,620
-173 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 977 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,224 | 1,637 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,136 | 1,793 | 0.61 | +156 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 88 places |
| 2020 | #17,113 | 1,620 | 0.54 | -173 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 977 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Estelle surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,136 | #17,113 | -6.1% |
| Count | 1,793 | 1,620 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.54 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Estelle bearers went from 1,793 to 1,620 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 977 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,136 to #17,113.
FAQ
Estelle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Estelle?
Name Census estimates that about 1,858 living Americans carry the surname Estelle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 184,475 residents.
How common is Estelle?
Estelle ranks #17,113 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,620 people with the surname Estelle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,858), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Estelle.
Has Estelle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Estelle went from 1,793 recorded bearers to 1,620. That is a decrease of 173 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,136 to #17,113.
What does the Census say about the background of Estelle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Estelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (32.8%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Estelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.3% (928 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Estelle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.3%), Black (32.8%), Two or More Races (4.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Estelle (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Estelle mean?
A French surname derived from the Latin word "stella" meaning "star". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Estelle (0.54 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Estelle?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.