Marabella
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "wonderful" or "beautiful sea".
Name Census estimates that about 178 living Americans carry the first name Marabella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marabella today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marabella births was 2013 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marabella. 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
178
~ 1 in 1,925,586 Americans
Peak year
2013
17 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,303
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Marabella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marabella from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 107 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Marabella remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marabella 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 Marabella during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marabella
The name Marabella has its origins in the Latin language, derived from the combination of the words "maris" meaning "sea" and "bella" meaning "beautiful." It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period in parts of Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain, where Latin-based languages were prevalent.
During the Renaissance era, the name Marabella gained popularity among aristocratic families in Italy, who often chose names with poetic or romantic connotations. It was a name that evoked the beauty and majesty of the sea, which held significant cultural and economic importance for coastal regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marabella can be found in a 15th-century Italian literary work, where it was used as the name of a character described as a beautiful and enigmatic woman from a seafaring family. This literary reference helped popularize the name and contributed to its association with grace and mystery.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Marabella. One such figure was Marabella de' Rossi (1520-1588), an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, who was renowned for her support of Renaissance painters and sculptors. Another was Marabella Sestini (1674-1734), an Italian composer and musician who gained fame for her operas and instrumental works.
In the 18th century, Marabella Wentworth (1712-1782) was a prominent English landowner and philanthropist who played a significant role in the development of her local community. Across the Atlantic, Marabella Fernández (1786-1856) was a Cuban activist and writer who advocated for women's rights and education during the early stages of the independence movement in Latin America.
Moving into the 19th century, Marabella Stevenson (1832-1901) was a Scottish artist and illustrator known for her intricate botanical drawings and her contributions to scientific publications of the era.
While the name Marabella has maintained a certain rarity throughout history, it has endured as a name that evokes a sense of elegance, beauty, and a connection to the natural world, particularly the sea. Its Latin roots and literary associations have contributed to its lasting cultural significance and appeal.
People
Marabella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marabella as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Marabella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marabella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 178 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marabella 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 1,925,586 US residents.
Is Marabella a common name?
We classify Marabella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 179 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marabella most popular?
The single biggest year for Marabella was 2013, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marabella is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Marabella in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marabella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marabella 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 Marabella still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marabella 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 Marabella 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Marabella?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Marabella on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.