Mayela
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly Spanish or Arabic.
Name Census estimates that about 888 living Americans carry the first name Mayela. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Mayela today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mayela births was 2005 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mayela. 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
888
~ 1 in 385,985 Americans
Peak year
2005
36 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,711
Tracked since 1965
Popularity
Mayela: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mayela 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 245 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Mayela remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mayela 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 Mayela during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mayelas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, Arizona recorded the most babies named Mayela, while Arizona, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 135 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Mayela
Mayela is a feminine given name that has its roots in the Spanish and Indigenous Latin American cultures. The name is believed to be derived from the combination of the Spanish words "maya" and "ela," which translates to "Maya's daughter" or "daughter of the Maya." The Maya were an ancient Mesoamerican civilization known for their advanced understanding of astronomy, mathematics, and architecture.
The earliest recorded use of the name Mayela dates back to the 16th century, during the Spanish conquest of the Americas. It is thought that the name was given to Indigenous women who were baptized by Spanish missionaries, as a way to integrate them into the Catholic faith while still acknowledging their cultural heritage.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Mayela was Mayela de Mérida, a Mayan noblewoman who lived in the 16th century in the Yucatán region of Mexico. She is notable for her role in the resistance against the Spanish conquistadors and her efforts to preserve the Mayan culture and traditions.
In the 17th century, Mayela Ximénez was a renowned Mayan healer and midwife who practiced in the city of Mérida, Mexico. Her knowledge of traditional Mayan medicine and her dedication to helping others earned her a great deal of respect in her community.
During the 18th century, Mayela Cortés was a prominent Indigenous artist from Guatemala. Her vibrant paintings and murals depicted scenes from Mayan mythology and daily life, providing a valuable glimpse into the culture of the time.
In the 19th century, Mayela Cárdenas was a Mexican author and activist who fought for the rights of Indigenous people. Her writings brought attention to the challenges faced by Native populations and called for greater recognition and respect for their traditions and way of life.
In the 20th century, Mayela Rodríguez was a renowned Ecuadorian dancer and choreographer. She played a significant role in promoting and preserving traditional Ecuadorian dance forms, and her performances were celebrated both nationally and internationally.
People
Mayela + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mayela 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
Mayela: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mayela?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 888 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mayela 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 385,985 US residents.
Is Mayela a common name?
We classify Mayela as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 919 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mayela most popular?
The single biggest year for Mayela was 2005, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mayela is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Mayela a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mayela 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.