Ixchel
Rainbow goddess of fertility, pregnancy and weaving in Mayan mythology.
Name Census estimates that about 999 living Americans carry the first name Ixchel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ixchel today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ixchel births was 2007 (69 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ixchel. 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
999
~ 1 in 343,097 Americans
Peak year
2007
69 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,232
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Ixchel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ixchel from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 368 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Ixchel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ixchel 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 Ixchel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ixchels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Ixchel, while New York, Arizona, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 97 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ixchel
Ixchel is a name of Mayan origin, derived from the name of the ancient Mayan goddess of midwifery, fertility, and weaving. The name is believed to have originated in the pre-Columbian era, around the 3rd to 9th century AD, in the region of modern-day Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, where the Maya civilization flourished.
The name Ixchel is linked to the Mayan goddess of the same name, who was revered as the protector of women, childbirth, and the healing arts. Her name is thought to be derived from the Mayan words "ix" meaning "woman" and "chel" meaning "rainbow" or "multicolored." This connection to the goddess and her association with femininity and fertility likely contributed to the name's enduring popularity among the Maya people.
Ixchel appears in various Mayan codices and inscriptions, solidifying its historical significance. One notable mention is in the Dresden Codex, a pre-Columbian Maya book of the Americas, where the goddess Ixchel is depicted alongside her companions and symbols of fertility and weaving.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ixchel. One of the earliest recorded examples is Ixchel Cabichuí (c. 1450-1500), a Mayan queen and ruler of the Xiu Maya state of Mani during the late 15th century. Another influential figure was Ixchel Pech (1570-1640), a respected Maya shaman and spiritual leader in the Yucatán region during the early colonial period.
In more recent times, Ixchel Legarreta (1903-1988) was a Mexican actress and singer who achieved fame in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Ixchel Rosal (born 1967) is a contemporary Guatemalan writer and activist known for her work on indigenous rights and feminism. Ixchel Micheo (born 1982) is a Mexican model and television personality who has graced the covers of numerous magazines.
While the name Ixchel has its roots in ancient Mayan culture, it has transcended its origins and continues to be used across various cultures, particularly in Latin America, as a testament to its historical and cultural significance.
People
Ixchel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ixchel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ixchel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ixchel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 999 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ixchel 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 343,097 US residents.
Is Ixchel a common name?
We classify Ixchel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,014 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ixchel most popular?
The single biggest year for Ixchel was 2007, when 69 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ixchel is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ixchel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ixchel 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.
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.