| Stella | Valentina | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Star | Strong, healthy |
| Origin | Latin | Latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | STEL-uh | val-en-TEE-nuh |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1897 |
| Peak year | 2018 (5,164) | 2025 (5,354) |
| In 2025 | 4,136 | 5,354 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Stella | Valentina |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 27,117 | 24,620 |
| 2010s | 44,225 | 27,221 |
| 2000s | 11,843 | 7,506 |
| 1990s | 1,798 | 1,903 |
| 1980s | 1,867 | 907 |
| 1970s | 2,563 | 614 |
| 1960s | 4,957 | 771 |
| 1950s | 8,591 | 591 |
| 1940s | 11,363 | 238 |
| 1930s | 11,206 | 227 |
| 1920s | 25,899 | 336 |
| 1910s | 28,526 | 185 |
| 1900s | 11,014 | 23 |
| 1890s | 9,807 | 5 |
| 1880s | 6,130 | 0 |
Stella is the Latin word for “star.” It was coined as a given name by the poet Sir Philip Sidney in the 16th century.
Valentina is a feminine form of Valentinus, from the Latin valens, “strong, healthy.”
Valentina is more popular than Stella today: about 5,354 US babies were given the name Valentina in 2025, compared with 4,136 named Stella.
Stella means Star (Latin origin), while Valentina means Strong, healthy (Latin origin).
In US records, Stella first appears in 1880 and Valentina in 1897, so Stella has the longer recorded history.