Find out how popular the first name Mariel has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Mariel by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Mariel is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 98% of people named Mariel being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 183 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Mariel.

The history of the first name Mariel

The name Mariel is derived from the French name Marie, which in turn originated from the ancient Hebrew name Miryam. The name Miryam is believed to be derived from the Hebrew root words "mar" meaning "bitter" or "beloved," and "yam" meaning "sea." This combination suggests the name may have meant "beloved of the sea" or "star of the sea."

In the Middle Ages, the name Marie became popular across Europe as a result of the widespread veneration of the Virgin Mary. The French variant Mariel emerged as a diminutive form of Marie, with the addition of the suffix "-el" or "-elle," which is a common way of creating pet names or nicknames in French.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mariel can be found in the 13th-century French epic poem "Roman de la Rose," written by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun. In this work, a character named Mariel is mentioned, although details about her significance are scarce.

Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Mariel. One of the most famous was Mariel Hemingway, an American actress born in 1961, who is the granddaughter of the renowned writer Ernest Hemingway. She rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, starring in films such as "Manhattan" and "Star 80."

Another notable Mariel was Mariel Zagunis, an American fencer born in 1984. She has won multiple Olympic gold medals in sabre fencing, making her one of the most successful fencers in United States history.

In the world of literature, Mariel was the name of a character in the 1980 novel "The Mosquito Coast" by Paul Theroux. This fictional character was the daughter of the novel's main protagonist, an eccentric inventor who decides to move his family to a remote region of Honduras.

Historically, the name Mariel has also been associated with a significant event in Cuban history. In 1980, the Mariel boatlift saw a mass exodus of Cuban citizens from the port of Mariel to the United States, marking a pivotal moment in the complex relationship between the two countries.

Finally, Mariel Hemingway's grandmother, the writer Mariel Greenwood Hemingway (1913-1986), also bore this name. She was the first wife of Ernest Hemingway and played a significant role in the early years of his literary career.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Mariel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mariel, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!