Christian Pure

Is Estelle in the Bible? No, the Name Comes from the Latin for “Star”

Christian Pure Team

·

Published

·

Updated

Summary

  • No one named Estelle appears in the Bible; the name is Old French, from the Latin stella, “star.”
  • The Latin word is in the Bible: the Vulgate uses stella for the Magi’s star (Matthew 2:2) and for “the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16).
  • Estelle is not a form of Esther, though Esther’s name possibly means “star” in Persian.
  • Mary’s title Stella Maris, “Star of the Sea,” probably began as a copyist’s change of stilla maris, “a drop of the sea.”
  • Saint Estelle, originally Eustelle, is a legendary third-century martyr of Saintes whose feast is 11 May; Frédéric Mistral gave her the name Estelle.
  • Estelle peaked at 27th among French girls’ names in 1994.

No one named Estelle appears in the Bible. Estelle is an Old French name that comes from the Latin stella, “star.” It has no Hebrew origin and is not a form of Esther, though Esther may also mean “star.” The word itself is in the Latin Bible, which calls the star of the Magi stella. Is Estelle in the Bible? The name does not occur in the Hebrew or Greek text of the Bible or in any translation, and neither…

Continue reading with a subscription

Get unlimited access to all our premium content and exclusive features.

Subscribe now

Enjoy unlimited access, cancel anytime.

Bibliography (Click to show)
  • Behind the Name, “Estelle,” “Estella,” “Estela,” “Stella” and “Esther,” with popularity figures for the United States (Social Security Administration) and France. https://www.behindthename.com/name/estelle
  • Nominis (Conférence des évêques de France), “Sainte Estelle.” https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1133/Sainte-Estelle.html
  • “Estelle de Saintes” and “Félibrige,” Wikipédia (French), including Frédéric Mistral’s account in Mémoires et récits. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estelle_de_Saintes
  • “Our Lady, Star of the Sea,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady,_Star_of_the_Sea
  • Anthony Maas, “The Name of Mary,” The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 15 (New York: Robert Appleton, 1912), on stella maris and stilla maris. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15464a.htm
  • Blue Letter Bible, Strong’s H3556, kôḵāḇ, “star.” https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3556/kjv/wlc/0-1/
  • “étoile,” Wiktionary, on its descent from Latin stella. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C3%A9toile
  • Scripture: Matthew 2:2 and Revelation 22:16 in the Latin Vulgate, the King James Version (Matthew 2:2), the English Standard Version (Revelation 22:16) and the Louis Segond; reference: Esther 2:7.

Response

  1. Estelle Sharrock Avatar
    Estelle Sharrock

    There is a saint Estelle or Eustelle de Saintes or Estelle de Saintes was an alleged a third-century martyr in Gaul, daughter of an illustrious Roman and descended from a powerful family of Druids.She has been popular in the Charentaise region and was considered a patron saint of young Christian girls. Saint Estelle is celebrated on 11 May.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Christian Pure

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

RedditWhatsApp
Share to...
CopyLinkedInMastodonPinterestPrintRedditSMSThreadsWhatsAppBlueskyVK