2000
#7,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,012
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Stella
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word "stella," meaning "star," likely referring to a bright or illustrious person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,315 Americans carry the last name Stella. That puts it at #8,428 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,433 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stella 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Stella with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,433
Census rank
#8,428
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,763 bearers of the surname Stella in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8428th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stella, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stella
The surname STELLA has its origins in Italy, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "stella," meaning "star." The name likely originated as a nickname or a descriptive term for someone who was associated with a star-shaped symbol, a celestial body, or who possessed a bright, shining personality.
During the medieval period, surnames were often based on occupations, physical traits, or places of origin. The surname STELLA may have been given to individuals who worked as astrologers, astronomers, or navigators, professions that required knowledge of the stars and celestial bodies.
Historical records indicate that the surname STELLA appeared in various Italian regions, including Tuscany, Lombardy, and Sicily, as early as the 13th century. One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo," a collection of legal documents from the Lombard period, where a certain "Guido Stella" is mentioned in a document dated 1227.
In the 14th century, the STELLA surname gained prominence in the city of Bologna, where a noble family bearing this name played a significant role in the city's political and cultural life. Notable members of this family include Giovanni Battista Stella (1552-1619), a renowned painter and engraver, and Gian Girolamo Stella (1587-1657), a Baroque painter known for his religious works.
Another notable figure with the surname STELLA was Jacopo Stella (1596-1687), an Italian painter and engraver from the Baroque period, known for his landscapes and mythological scenes. His works can be found in various museums and galleries across Europe.
The STELLA surname also has a connection to the town of Stella, located in the province of Savona, Liguria, Italy. It is believed that the town's name may have contributed to the origin of the surname, as it was common for individuals to adopt place names as their surnames during the Middle Ages.
Throughout history, there have been several other notable individuals bearing the STELLA surname, including:
1. Antonio Stella (1536-1595), an Italian architect and sculptor from Brescia.
2. Erasmo di Valvasone Stella (1592-1629), an Italian poet and soldier from Friuli.
3. Giulio Camillo Delminio Stella (1564-1624), an Italian philosopher and writer from Padua.
4. Tommaso Stella (1637-1702), an Italian mathematician and astronomer from Naples.
5. Giuseppe Stella (1822-1902), an Italian painter and engraver from Naples.
While the surname STELLA has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other countries through migration and has been adopted by individuals of various ethnicities and nationalities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stella
Among Census respondents with the surname Stella, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Stella 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 Stella surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 3,117
- Hispanic or Latino11.6% · 435
- Two or more races2.7% · 101
- Black or African American1.6% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stella
Stella 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
#8,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,053
+41 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 536 places
2020
#8,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,763
-290 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,642 | 4,012 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,178 | 4,053 | 1.37 | +41 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 536 places |
| 2020 | #8,428 | 3,763 | 1.26 | -290 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 250 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 Stella 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 | #8,178 | #8,428 | -3.1% |
| Count | 4,053 | 3,763 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.26 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stella bearers went from 4,053 to 3,763 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 250 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,178 to #8,428.
FAQ
Stella surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stella?
Name Census estimates that about 4,315 living Americans carry the surname Stella. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,433 residents.
How common is Stella?
Stella ranks #8,428 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,763 people with the surname Stella. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,315), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Stella.
Has Stella become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stella went from 4,053 recorded bearers to 3,763. That is a decrease of 290 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,178 to #8,428.
What does the Census say about the background of Stella?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stella, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Stella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (3,117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stella appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Hispanic (11.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Stella (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 Stella mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin word "stella," meaning "star," likely referring to a bright or illustrious person. 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 Stella (1.26 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 common is the surname Stella?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Stella at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.