| Laurel | Estella | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | The laurel tree | Star |
| Origin | Latin | latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | LOR-ul | es-TEL-uh |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1883 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1956 (1,181) | 1921 (638) |
| In 2025 | 372 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Laurel | Estella |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,448 | 3,139 |
| 2010s | 3,618 | 3,053 |
| 2000s | 3,445 | 1,557 |
| 1990s | 4,365 | 617 |
| 1980s | 4,901 | 800 |
| 1970s | 4,065 | 1,200 |
| 1960s | 6,366 | 2,083 |
| 1950s | 9,439 | 3,380 |
| 1940s | 4,890 | 3,731 |
| 1930s | 1,525 | 3,908 |
| 1920s | 1,437 | 5,797 |
| 1910s | 366 | 5,092 |
| 1900s | 108 | 3,068 |
| 1890s | 98 | 3,174 |
| 1880s | 42 | 2,321 |
Laurel names the laurel tree, whose leaves crowned victors in the ancient world.
A Latinate elaboration of Estelle, both tracing to Latin 'stella' ('star'). Charles Dickens used it for a character in 'Great Expectations'.
Laurel is more popular than Estella today: about 372 US babies were given the name Laurel in 2025, compared with 0 named Estella.
Laurel means The laurel tree (Latin origin), while Estella means Star (latin origin).
In US records, Laurel first appears in 1883 and Estella in 0, so Estella has the longer recorded history.