Head to head · Girls' names
Estella vs Yara
#509 vs #507 in 2025
Yara is a whisker ahead (#507 vs #509 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Yara is climbing the charts fast, Estella is back after a long quiet spell. On momentum, Estella has the edge.
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; Yara leads 2.
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, Yara — — Estella higher
- 1890s: Estella #138, Yara — — Estella higher
- 1900s: Estella #172, Yara — — Estella higher
- 1910s: Estella #233, Yara — — Estella higher
- 1920s: Estella #273, Yara — — Estella higher
- 1930s: Estella #320, Yara — — Estella higher
- 1940s: Estella #378, Yara — — Estella higher
- 1950s: Estella #497, Yara — — Estella higher
- 1960s: Estella #711, Yara #6617 — Estella higher
- 1970s: Estella #1048, Yara #4866 — Estella higher
- 1980s: Estella #1561, Yara #3276 — Estella higher
- 1990s: Estella #2219, Yara #2836 — Estella higher
- 2000s: Estella #1530, Yara #1783 — Estella higher
- 2010s: Estella #888, Yara #1122 — Estella higher
- 2020s: Estella #585, Yara #597 — Estella higher
Estella stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Estella | Yara |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #115 | — |
| 1890s | #138 | — |
| 1900s | #172 | — |
| 1910s | #233 | — |
| 1920s | #273 | — |
| 1930s | #320 | — |
| 1940s | #378 | — |
| 1950s | #497 | — |
| 1960s | #711 | #6617 |
| 1970s | #1048 | #4866 |
| 1980s | #1561 | #3276 |
| 1990s | #2219 | #2836 |
| 2000s | #1530 | #1783 |
| 2010s | #888 | #1122 |
| 2020s | #585 | #597 |
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.
Yara
Several genuine readings: "lady of the water" (Tupi), "honeycomb, honeysuckle" (Hebrew), "strength, capability" (Persian)
In Brazilian folklore, Iara — also written Yara — is the woman of the river, her name traced to Tupi elements for water and lady or lord. In Hebrew, Ya'ara (יערה) means honeycomb or honeysuckle. In Persian, yārā carries the sense of strength or capability and stands beside yār, "friend, companion." Yara is also widely used across the Arabic-speaking world, where it is often glossed online as "small butterfly"; that reading circulates far more widely than any evidence for it. An unsettled name here means a well-populated one, not a broken one.
How it traveled
This is one spelling standing at a crossroads rather than one name with one road. Brazilian Portuguese has Iara, sometimes spelled Yara, from Tupi-Guarani story, where she belongs to the river; the name has been used for girls in Brazil for generations.
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.
Yara
YAH-rah
Two even syllables, stress on the first, the a's as in "father." Some American speakers land on YAIR-uh instead, closer to "Sarah." The Brazilian form Iara is said ee-AH-rah, with the stress in the middle.
- Yaya — The most common affectionate form, used at home and by younger siblings; rarely written down.
- Ya — A clipped call-name among family and close friends rather than anything formal.
- Yari — Occasional playful extension; also exists on its own in Spanish-speaking 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 on the way upup 222 places on the charts in five years
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Stella, Essie and Ella
- a long American recordEstella was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 30% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 51% for Yara
Choose Yara if you want…
- a newer arrivalYara entered the US charts in 1969
- a name that feels very nowYara is climbing the charts fast
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.
Yara
Strengths
- Four letters, two syllables, and no silent or optional ones — most people can spell it correctly after hearing it once.
- Belongs naturally in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Portuguese as well as English, so it travels between families and countries without translation.
- Reads unmistakably as a girl's name in American use, with no gender-guessing on a class list.
To consider
- The competing spellings are the real friction: Yara, Yarah and Iara all exist, and someone will occasionally write the wrong one. Choosing Yara puts you on the version most used in American records.
- The "small butterfly" meaning appears on many websites with nothing solid behind it. If the meaning is part of why you love the name, it is worth knowing which readings are actually documented.
- In Turkish, the word yara means "wound" — irrelevant in most American settings, but worth knowing if your family or circle includes Turkish speakers.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Estella
30%chance Estella feels dated by 2040
Estella is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
Yara
51%chance Yara feels dated by 2040
Yara is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
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 Yara 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 Yara?
Put both to the vote.
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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 Yara each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Estella or Yara — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Estella or Yara?
- Yara, in 2025: Yara ranked #507 with 585 babies; Estella ranked #509 with 581 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Estella or Yara?
- Estella. Over the last five years Estella moved up 222 places; Yara moved up 147 places.
- Which is the older name, Estella or Yara?
- Estella was already in use when US records began in 1880; Yara entered the US charts in 1969. On the American record, Estella is the older name.
- How many people are named Estella and Yara?
- About 18,500 people named Estella are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 7,500 people named Yara are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Estellas or Yaras in the classroom?
- Estella will almost certainly be the only one in school. Yara 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
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