Head to head · Girls' names
Estella vs Eve
#509 vs #519 in 2025
Estella is a whisker ahead (#509 vs #519 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Estella is back after a long quiet spell, Eve is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Estella leads 4 measures of 6; Eve leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Estella #115, Eve #722 — Estella higher
- 1890s: Estella #138, Eve #655 — Estella higher
- 1900s: Estella #172, Eve #517 — Estella higher
- 1910s: Estella #233, Eve #532 — Estella higher
- 1920s: Estella #273, Eve #784 — Estella higher
- 1930s: Estella #320, Eve #882 — Estella higher
- 1940s: Estella #378, Eve #770 — Estella higher
- 1950s: Estella #497, Eve #620 — Estella higher
- 1960s: Estella #711, Eve #611 — Eve higher
- 1970s: Estella #1048, Eve #702 — Eve higher
- 1980s: Estella #1561, Eve #985 — Eve higher
- 1990s: Estella #2219, Eve #1149 — Eve higher
- 2000s: Estella #1530, Eve #591 — Eve higher
- 2010s: Estella #888, Eve #494 — Eve higher
- 2020s: Estella #585, Eve #532 — Eve higher
Estella stood higher in 8 of 15 decades; Eve has held the lead since the 1960s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Estella | Eve |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #115 | #722 |
| 1890s | #138 | #655 |
| 1900s | #172 | #517 |
| 1910s | #233 | #532 |
| 1920s | #273 | #784 |
| 1930s | #320 | #882 |
| 1940s | #378 | #770 |
| 1950s | #497 | #620 |
| 1960s | #711 | #611 |
| 1970s | #1048 | #702 |
| 1980s | #1561 | #985 |
| 1990s | #2219 | #1149 |
| 2000s | #1530 | #591 |
| 2010s | #888 | #494 |
| 2020s | #585 | #532 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Estella
star
From Latin stella, 'star', through the Old French given name Estelle.
stella (Latin) → Estelle (Old French) → Estella
How it traveled
The root is the Latin stella, star, which became the medieval French given name Estelle and survived in the south of France long after Latin stopped being spoken. Estella is the Latinate form of that name, and English speakers took it up in the nineteenth century, when classical and flower-and-star names were being pulled back into use together.
Eve
Life, living
The Hebrew form Ḥavvāh is connected to the root for life and living; Genesis itself glosses the name that way, calling her the mother of all living.
Ḥavvāh → Eua → Eva → Eve
How it traveled
The name begins as Hebrew Ḥavvāh in the Book of Genesis. Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible rendered it Eua, Latin made it Eva, and Old French wore it down to Eve, which is the form English inherited.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Estella
eh-STEL-ah
Stress on the middle syllable in both English and Spanish. Spanish speakers may soften the first vowel toward 'es-TEH-la'.
- Stella — The most common short form, and a long-established given name in its own right.
- Essie — A nineteenth-century short form for both Estella and Esther; still used informally within families.
- Ella — Informal, and independently very familiar as a standalone name.
- Estie — Family-level nickname, rarely written down.
- Also Tella.
Eve
EEV
One syllable, rhyming with leave. Identical in sound to the English word eve, as in Christmas Eve. Note that Eva is said two ways — EE-va and AY-va — but Eve itself has only one pronunciation in English.
- Evie — The main affectionate form, and also given as a standalone name in its own right.
- Eva — The Latin form used as a longer, more formal-sounding alternative rather than a shortening.
- Evvy — An informal spelling of the same short form, mostly written within families.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Estella if you want…
- a name most people already know#509 in 2025, 581 babies that year
- a name on the way upup 222 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itEstella runs 3 syllables, Eve 1
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Stella, Essie and Ella
Choose Eve if you want…
- a name fewer children share#519 in 2025 — eve will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name holding steadyEve is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesEve is 1 syllable to Estella's 3
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Estella
Strengths
- Meaning is transparent and easy to explain: star, from Latin stella.
- Several short forms already in wide use — Stella, Ella, Essie — none of which need explaining.
- Reads and pronounces naturally in English, Spanish and Portuguese, with close relatives in French and Italian.
To consider
- It sits in a crowd of near-identical names: Estelle, Estela, Stella. Expect to spell it out often, and to be handed the wrong one on paperwork now and then.
- Stella is far more familiar to most ears, so an Estella may find herself shortened to Stella by teachers and coaches unless you correct it early.
- Dickens's Estella in Great Expectations is deliberately cold and made to break hearts. Some readers make the connection immediately; most do not.
Eve
Strengths
- Spelled right on first hearing by nearly everyone, and short enough to fit any form, signature or email address.
- Recognizable across most of Europe and the Middle East in a closely related form — Eva, Ève, Hawwa, Chava.
- A documented record stretching from ancient Hebrew scripture through medieval English drama to today, without ever falling out of use.
To consider
- It is often misheard as Ava or Eva, both of which are far more common right now. Expect to spell it out on the phone and to correct it occasionally.
- Being a single short syllable, it can run together with a one-syllable surname. Say the full name aloud a few times before deciding.
- The biblical Eve comes attached to the story of the fall, and a few people will make that association. In practice it rarely comes up beyond a passing remark.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Estella and Eve in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Estella and Eve?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Vintage names making a comeback
- Grandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to return
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- The longest comebacks in the records
- all guides
Where Estella and Eve each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Estella or Eve — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Estella or Eve?
- Estella, in 2025: Estella ranked #509 with 581 babies; Eve ranked #519 with 577 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Estella or Eve?
- Estella. Over the last five years Estella moved up 222 places; Eve moved down 50 places.
- Which is the older name, Estella or Eve?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Estella and Eve?
- About 18,500 people named Estella are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 25,000 people named Eve are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Estellas or Eves in the classroom?
- Estella will almost certainly be the only one in school. Eve will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Estella, Eve and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap