Celeste

Meaning & origin●(measured from records)

Attested across 15 languages in the etymology graph.

How Celeste is read●(measured from records)

Celeste is one spelling over 3 language communities, and the dictionaries record it differently in 3 of them. Each row is what a source recorded for that language, beside the share of this name’s records the language holds. No single row is the name’s meaning.

• Spanish53%

  pale blue, sky blue

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• English31%

  Alternative form of celesta (“musical instrument”).

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• Portuguese6.1%

  heavenly

  as a word·A Frequency Dictionary of Portuguese

  celestial (relating to the sky)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

The share is ours — how much of this name’s records each language holds. The sense beside it is the source’s, quoted and credited, including where it names a gender. We do not publish a gender of our own per language: our records carry one figure for the spelling as a whole.

Often considered alongside

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Celeste, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Estelle
• Delphine
• Aurora
• Daphne
• Astra
• Selene
• Elara
• Astrid
• Elise
• Beatrice
• Giselle
• Bianca

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Other names spelled this way◐(inferred from the name graph)

Celeste is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name34 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Philippines

  Languages: English, German, Dutch

  Also written Celesté, Céleste, Celéste, Celeste', Cèleste

• a separate name5 spellings in the group

  Also written Cèleste, Céleste, Celesté, Célèste

• Lao given name16 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Laos, United States, Thailand, Philippines

  Languages: Lao, Thai

  Also written Selet, Čëlëstë, Celesté, Célèsté, Célésté

• Swahili given name12 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, South Africa, Philippines, Congo - Kinshasa

  Languages: Swahili, Southern Sotho, Kinyarwanda

  Also written Celesté, Cèleste, Céleste, Celéste, Celëste

• Indonesian given name5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, United States, Philippines, Peru

  Also written Céleste, Cèleste, Celesté, Célęstē

75 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●(measured from records)

Celeste is also recorded in 2 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In Latin, From Latin caelestis, ‘pertaining to the sky; heavenly’.

  as a name·Diccionario etimológico de nombres propios

• In Italian, do lat. caelestis; repete um nome próprio cristão

  as a name·Dicionário dos sobrenomes italianos

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Notable people with this name●(measured from records)

• Celeste Holmb. 1917USAmerican actress (1917–2012)
• Marge Championb. 1919USnot in their usual nameAmerican dancer and actress (1919–2020)
• Celeste Yarnallb. 1944USAmerican actress (1944-2018)
• Anne Hecheb. 1969USnot in their usual nameAmerican actress (1969–2022)
• Celeste Ngb. 1980USAmerican novelist
• Greta Gerwigb. 1983USnot in their usual nameAmerican actress and filmmaker (born 1983)
• Jessica Michibatab. 1984JPnot in their usual nameArgentine Japanese author and entrepreneur
• Celeste Boninb. 1986USAmerican bodybuilder, model, and professional wrestler
• Celesteb. 1994GBBritish singer
• Celeste O'Connorb. 1998KEAmerican actress

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

How to address them○(machine-generated)

A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.

Evidence●(measured from records)

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Frequently asked questions

Is Celeste a male or female name?

Celeste is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Celeste mean?

In Spanish, pale blue, sky blue

What are other forms of the name Celeste?

In the etymology graph, Celestino and Cielo are forms of the same name in other languages.

Where does the name Celeste come from?

From Latin caelestis, ‘pertaining to the sky; heavenly’. Recorded by Diccionario etimológico de nombres propios.

How do you pronounce Celeste?

A machine transcription gives /seleste/ (IPA) for Spanish.

In which country does Celeste have the most bearers?

In the United States, the national register counted about 51 thousand people named Celeste, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled celeste.

How common is the name Celeste?

In the United States, the national register counted 51,111 people named Celeste in 2020, about 1 in 6.5 thousand residents.

How common is Celeste compared with other names?

In the Dominican Republic, Celeste is the 47th most common given name of 44,971 given names recorded there.