Maridel
A feminine given name derived from a combination of "Mary" and "Adela".
Name Census estimates that about 25 living Americans carry the first name Maridel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Maridel today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maridel births was 1944 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maridel. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Maridel is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Maridels were born before 1954.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Maridel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
25
~ 1 in 13,710,174 Americans
Peak year
1944
9 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1955 SSA rank
#5,023
Tracked since 1931
Popularity
Maridel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maridel from the 1930s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 40 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maridel 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 Maridel 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 Maridel
The name Maridel is a combination of the names Maria and Delphine, originating from the Romance languages of Latin and Greek. The first part, "Mari", is derived from the Hebrew name Miriam, meaning "bitter" or "beloved", while "del" comes from the Greek word "delphys", meaning "womb" or "dolphin".
The earliest recorded use of the name Maridel dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in a medieval French manuscript. During this time, the name was popular among the nobility and upper classes, particularly in regions like Brittany and Normandy.
In the 16th century, the name gained popularity in Spain, where it was often associated with the Virgin Mary. One notable figure from this era was Maridel de Alburquerque (1520-1585), a Spanish noblewoman and patron of the arts.
As the name spread across Europe, it appeared in various literary works and historical records. In the 17th century, the English poet John Donne mentioned a "Maridel" in one of his love sonnets, indicating the name's use in England.
During the 19th century, the name Maridel was particularly popular in France and Italy. One notable figure from this period was Maridel Dujardin (1819-1892), a French writer and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and education.
Another famous bearer of the name was Maridel Belmont (1845-1921), an Italian opera singer and composer who performed in major opera houses across Europe and America.
In the 20th century, the name gained some popularity in the United States, particularly among families with French or Spanish ancestry. One notable American with the name was Maridel Chamberlain (1909-1998), a philanthropist and socialite who was active in various charitable organizations.
Overall, the name Maridel has a rich history that spans across centuries and cultures, with its origins rooted in the Romance languages and its popularity ebbing and flowing throughout different regions and time periods.
People
Maridel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maridel 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
Maridel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maridel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maridel 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 13,710,174 US residents.
Is Maridel a common name?
We classify Maridel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 69 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maridel most popular?
The single biggest year for Maridel was 1944, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maridel is about 82 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Maridel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maridel 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.