Head to head · Girls' names
Estella vs Scarlet
#509 vs #509 in 2025
Estella and Scarlet share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#509). The records cannot split them; sound and story will.
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; Scarlet leads 0.
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, Scarlet — — Estella higher
- 1890s: Estella #138, Scarlet — — Estella higher
- 1900s: Estella #172, Scarlet — — Estella higher
- 1910s: Estella #233, Scarlet — — Estella higher
- 1920s: Estella #273, Scarlet — — Estella higher
- 1930s: Estella #320, Scarlet #3782 — Estella higher
- 1940s: Estella #378, Scarlet #1944 — Estella higher
- 1950s: Estella #497, Scarlet #1879 — Estella higher
- 1960s: Estella #711, Scarlet #1465 — Estella higher
- 1970s: Estella #1048, Scarlet #1782 — Estella higher
- 1980s: Estella #1561, Scarlet #2160 — Estella higher
- 1990s: Estella #2219, Scarlet #2052 — Scarlet higher
- 2000s: Estella #1530, Scarlet #1107 — Scarlet higher
- 2010s: Estella #888, Scarlet #388 — Scarlet higher
- 2020s: Estella #585, Scarlet #465 — Scarlet higher
Estella stood higher in 11 of 15 decades; Scarlet has held the lead since the 1990s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Estella | Scarlet |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #115 | — |
| 1890s | #138 | — |
| 1900s | #172 | — |
| 1910s | #233 | — |
| 1920s | #273 | — |
| 1930s | #320 | #3782 |
| 1940s | #378 | #1944 |
| 1950s | #497 | #1879 |
| 1960s | #711 | #1465 |
| 1970s | #1048 | #1782 |
| 1980s | #1561 | #2160 |
| 1990s | #2219 | #2052 |
| 2000s | #1530 | #1107 |
| 2010s | #888 | #388 |
| 2020s | #585 | #465 |
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.
Scarlet
the bright red color; originally a rich cloth
The word first named a fine, expensive fabric rather than a shade — the cloth could be other colors — and narrowed to the red itself over the medieval period. Both readings are part of the same documented history, not competing guesses.
scarlatum (medieval Latin) → escarlate (Old French) → scarlet (Middle English) → Scarlett (English surname) → Scarlet
How it traveled
The word came into medieval Latin as scarlatum and Old French as escarlate, naming an expensive imported cloth; English had it as scarlet by the Middle Ages, by then chiefly for the color. It also became a surname for the people who made, dyed or sold that cloth, which is the road the double-t Scarlett traveled.
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.
Scarlet
SKAR-let
Two syllables, stress on the first, exactly like the color word. Almost no American reader hesitates over it, and there is no second accepted pronunciation to correct.
- Lettie — Informal short form taken from the ending; also stands alone as an older given name in its own right.
- Letty — Same short form, spelled the shorter way; used within families more than in writing.
- Scar — The obvious clipping, common among schoolmates; some families steer away from it because it is also an English word.
- Scarly — Affectionate household form, rarely written down.
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, Scarlet 2
- a long American recordEstella was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Scarlet if you want…
- a name holding steadyScarlet is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesScarlet is 2 syllables to Estella's 3
- a newer arrivalScarlet entered the US charts in 1939
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.
Scarlet
Strengths
- Everyone already knows how to say it — it is an English word before it is a name, so it survives phone calls and substitute teachers intact.
- Short, stress-first, and easy to say alongside most surnames.
- Has real short forms available — Lettie and Letty — without depending on them.
To consider
- The double-t Scarlett is the more widely recognized spelling, thanks to Scarlett O'Hara and to Scarlett Johansson. Choosing the single-t version means a lifetime of gentle corrections — not hard ones, but frequent.
- Scarlett O'Hara comes attached to Gone with the Wind, a book and film long criticized for how they portray slavery and the Confederacy. Most people won't make the connection; some will, and it's better to have thought about it first.
- English keeps a few old phrases in circulation — the biblical "scarlet woman", and scarlet fever. Neither is much heard now, but the word carries them.
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 Scarlet 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 Scarlet?
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 Scarlet each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Estella or Scarlet — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Estella or Scarlet?
- They tie in 2025: Estella ranked #509 with 581 babies; Scarlet ranked #509 with 581 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Estella or Scarlet?
- Estella. Over the last five years Estella moved up 222 places; Scarlet moved down 63 places.
- Which is the older name, Estella or Scarlet?
- Estella was already in use when US records began in 1880; Scarlet entered the US charts in 1939. On the American record, Estella is the older name.
- How many people are named Estella and Scarlet?
- About 18,500 people named Estella are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 17,500 people named Scarlet are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Estellas or Scarlets in the classroom?
- Estella will almost certainly be the only one in school. Scarlet 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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