I have always had a fondness for the name Stellan, it’s such a lovely name! One of the most common images of wintertime and the holiday season in many traditions is the star and it is thought that the name Stellan might have origins from the Latin for star- stella. More commonly used in Sweden than anywhere else, it is also thought that Stellan might originate from the Swedish word stilla, meaning “calm” and “peaceful,” which ties in well to the winter season too!
To view more winter-inspired baby names, please visit the Baby Name Advent page!
meaning
Star; calm & peaceful
pronunciation
STEH-lən; STEH-lahn;
origin
German; Swedish
popularity
Although Stellan is still very uncommon, especially outside of Sweden, it appears to be rising in popularity since 1998. Names ending in the ‘an’ sound are still as popular as ever and I think that Stellan is still an up-and-comer! Quite a unique name, though a wonderful choice if you are looking for a name that isn’t over-used but it still easy to spell and to pronounce.
nicknames
Reading comments on this name, ‘Stelly’ as a nickname came up a few times, which is really quite cute! ‘Stell’ is another, as is ‘Tell’ and ‘Telly’ and, as short forms go, I think they’re all nice.
NOTABLE PEOPLE & CHARACTERS
Stellan Bojerud (1944–2015) – Swedish politician
Stellan Bengtsson (born 1952) – Swedish table tennis player
Stellan Skarsgård (born 1961) – Swedish actor
Stellan Brynell (born 1962) – Swedish chess player
