Christella
A feminine name derived from the Latin word "Christus", meaning "follower of Christ".
Name Census estimates that about 519 living Americans carry the first name Christella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Christella today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Christella births was 1973 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Christella. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
519
~ 1 in 660,413 Americans
Peak year
1973
18 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,725
Tracked since 1917
Census
Christella in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 632 people with the first name Christella, which placed it at #17,453 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#17,453
National first-name rank
People counted
632
632 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
46.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Christella
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Christella is Black at 46.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.8%) and White (16.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Christella described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Christella at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.4% · 293
- Hispanic or Latino31.8% · 201
- White16.6% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 21
- Two or more races1.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Popularity
Christella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Christella from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 120 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Christella by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Christella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Christellas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Christella
The given name Christella has its origins in the Latin language, derived from the Greek word "Christos" meaning "anointed one" or "the anointed." It is a feminine form of the name Christian, which itself is rooted in the name of Jesus Christ. The earliest recorded use of the name Christella can be traced back to the late 16th century in parts of Europe, particularly in Italy and France.
While the name Christella does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its connection to Christianity is evident. The name's popularity grew during the Renaissance period, as it was embraced by devout Christian families who wished to honor their faith through the naming of their children.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Christella was an Italian nun, Christella Guglielmi, who lived in the late 16th century and was known for her charitable works in the city of Florence. Another notable figure was Christella Petrucci, an Italian painter and artist from the 17th century, renowned for her religious-themed works.
In the 18th century, Christella de Bourbon-Parma, a member of the Spanish Royal Family, was born in 1776. She was a Princess of Spain and later married into the Portuguese Royal Family, becoming the Duchess of Cadaval.
Moving into the 19th century, Christella Avondo, an Italian poet and writer, was born in 1842 in Turin. Her works often explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality.
In the 20th century, Christella Gagnier was a Canadian painter and sculptor, born in 1921. Her artwork was widely celebrated, and she was recognized for her contributions to the arts with several awards and honors.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Christella, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of the name's legacy.
People
Christella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Christella as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Christella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Christella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 519 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Christella going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 660,413 US residents.
Is Christella a common name?
We classify Christella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 739 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Christella most popular?
The single biggest year for Christella was 1973, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Christella is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Christella in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 632 people with the name Christella, or 0.21 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,453 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Christella in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Christella?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Christella appears almost entirely female. Of the 632 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Christella?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Christella is Black at 46.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.8%) and White (16.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Christella most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Christella in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.4% (293 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Christella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Christella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Christella in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Christella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Christella in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Christella can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Christella as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Christella on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.