| Regina | Stella | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | queen | Star |
| Origin | latin | latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ruh-JEE-nuh | STEL-uh |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1962 (5,002) | 2018 (5,164) |
| In 2025 | 786 | 4,136 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Regina | Stella |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 4,995 | 27,117 |
| 2010s | 6,250 | 44,225 |
| 2000s | 4,551 | 11,843 |
| 1990s | 6,915 | 1,798 |
| 1980s | 14,578 | 1,867 |
| 1970s | 28,319 | 2,563 |
| 1960s | 45,827 | 4,957 |
| 1950s | 30,797 | 8,591 |
| 1940s | 12,713 | 11,363 |
| 1930s | 7,045 | 11,206 |
| 1920s | 10,676 | 25,899 |
| 1910s | 7,389 | 28,526 |
| 1900s | 2,243 | 11,014 |
| 1890s | 1,353 | 9,807 |
| 1880s | 621 | 6,130 |
From the Latin 'regina', meaning 'queen' (feminine of 'rex'). Long used as a title of the Virgin Mary (Regina Caeli, 'Queen of Heaven'). A literal, well-established 'queen' name.
Directly from the Latin word 'stella' meaning 'star'. It is the clearest, least disputed star name, used in Latin literature and revived in English since the Renaissance (notably by Sir Philip Sidney).
Stella is more popular than Regina today: about 4,136 US babies were given the name Stella in 2025, compared with 786 named Regina.
Regina means queen (latin origin), while Stella means Star (latin origin).
In US records, Regina first appears in 1880 and Stella in 1880, so Regina has the longer recorded history.