Head to head · Girls' names
Estella vs Hanna
#509 vs #511 in 2025
Estella is a whisker ahead (#509 vs #511 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Estella is back after a long quiet spell, Hanna 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; Hanna 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, Hanna #423 — Estella higher
- 1890s: Estella #138, Hanna #542 — Estella higher
- 1900s: Estella #172, Hanna #798 — Estella higher
- 1910s: Estella #233, Hanna #1060 — Estella higher
- 1920s: Estella #273, Hanna #1669 — Estella higher
- 1930s: Estella #320, Hanna #2008 — Estella higher
- 1940s: Estella #378, Hanna #2322 — Estella higher
- 1950s: Estella #497, Hanna #2700 — Estella higher
- 1960s: Estella #711, Hanna #2751 — Estella higher
- 1970s: Estella #1048, Hanna #2073 — Estella higher
- 1980s: Estella #1561, Hanna #740 — Hanna higher
- 1990s: Estella #2219, Hanna #238 — Hanna higher
- 2000s: Estella #1530, Hanna #263 — Hanna higher
- 2010s: Estella #888, Hanna #488 — Hanna higher
- 2020s: Estella #585, Hanna #528 — Hanna higher
Estella stood higher in 10 of 15 decades; Hanna has held the lead since the 1980s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Estella | Hanna |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #115 | #423 |
| 1890s | #138 | #542 |
| 1900s | #172 | #798 |
| 1910s | #233 | #1060 |
| 1920s | #273 | #1669 |
| 1930s | #320 | #2008 |
| 1940s | #378 | #2322 |
| 1950s | #497 | #2700 |
| 1960s | #711 | #2751 |
| 1970s | #1048 | #2073 |
| 1980s | #1561 | #740 |
| 1990s | #2219 | #238 |
| 2000s | #1530 | #263 |
| 2010s | #888 | #488 |
| 2020s | #585 | #528 |
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.
Hanna
grace, favor
From Hebrew ḥannāh, built on a root meaning to show favor or be gracious.
Ḥannāh → Anna → Hannah → Hanna
How it traveled
The name belongs to the mother of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible, whose story of long-awaited childbirth is told in the first book of Samuel. The Greek translators of the Hebrew scriptures wrote it without its initial breath as Anna, and that shorter form spread across the Roman and then the Christian world, giving Anne, Ana and Annie.
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.
Hanna
HAN-uh
Two syllables, stress on the first, identical in sound to Hannah in American English. In German and the Nordic languages the first vowel is broader and the ending crisper: HAH-na.
- Han — Informal, mostly among friends and siblings; not used in writing.
- Hannie — Affectionate family form, familiar in English and Dutch usage.
- Hanni — The standard affectionate form in German-speaking countries.
- Hania — Polish diminutive, used warmly and also standing on its own.
- Also Nan.
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 on the way upup 222 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itEstella runs 3 syllables, Hanna 2
Choose Hanna if you want…
- a name holding steadyHanna is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesHanna is 2 syllables 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.
Hanna
Strengths
- Sounds exactly like Hannah, so no one ever has to ask how to say it.
- Two syllables spelled the way they sound — easy for a child to write early.
- The standard spelling across German, Nordic, Finnish, Hungarian and Polish usage, so it travels without translation.
To consider
- The H-less ending will be corrected for life. Hannah is the far more common American spelling, so expect forms, teachers and autocorrect to add the final H, and expect to spell it aloud often.
- It sits inside a crowded sound-alike family — Hannah, Hana, Anna, Ana, Anne. Recognition is instant; precision takes a beat.
- Hanna is also a men's name among Arabic-speaking Christian families, and a familiar English and Irish surname. Neither causes real confusion in US usage, but both are worth knowing about.
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 Hanna 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 Hanna?
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.
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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 Hanna each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Estella or Hanna — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Estella or Hanna?
- Estella, in 2025: Estella ranked #509 with 581 babies; Hanna ranked #511 with 580 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Estella or Hanna?
- Estella. Over the last five years Estella moved up 222 places; Hanna moved up 17 places.
- Which is the older name, Estella or Hanna?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Estella and Hanna?
- About 18,500 people named Estella are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 40,000 people named Hanna are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Estellas or Hannas in the classroom?
- Estella will almost certainly be the only one in school. Hanna 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
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