Yameli
Spanish feminine name meaning "twin" or "harmony".
Name Census estimates that about 161 living Americans carry the first name Yameli. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yameli today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yameli births was 2019 (49 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yameli. 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
161
~ 1 in 2,128,909 Americans
Peak year
2019
49 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,128
Tracked since 1991
Census
Yameli in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 195 people with the first name Yameli, which placed it at #38,993 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#38,993
National first-name rank
People counted
195
195 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
95.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yameli
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Yameli is Hispanic at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Yameli described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Yameli at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.9% · 187
- White2.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 2
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Yameli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yameli from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 81 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Yameli remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yameli 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 Yameli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yamelis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Yameli, while New York, North Carolina, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Yameli
The given name Yameli originates from the Nahuatl language spoken by the Aztecs and other indigenous groups in pre-Columbian Mexico. It is derived from the Nahuatl words "yamel" meaning "to go" and "li" meaning "the one who". Thus, the name can be interpreted to mean "the one who goes" or "the traveler".
In Aztec mythology, Yamel was a minor deity associated with travel and journeys. The name was likely given to children with the hope that they would embark on great adventures and lead a life filled with exploration and discovery.
The earliest recorded use of the name Yameli dates back to the 16th century, shortly after the Spanish conquest of Mexico. It appears in several colonial-era records and documents, often referring to indigenous women who had converted to Christianity.
One of the first notable individuals to bear the name Yameli was Yameli Tzintzuntzin (c. 1530-1600), a Tarascan noblewoman from Michoacán. She played a significant role in the resistance against Spanish colonization and is celebrated as a symbol of indigenous resilience.
Another historical figure with the name Yameli was Yameli Cuitlapilli (c. 1570-1640), a Nahua scholar and teacher who worked to preserve the Aztec language and cultural traditions during the early colonial period.
In the 19th century, Yameli Huitzilihuitl (1815-1892) was a renowned healer and midwife from Oaxaca, renowned for her expertise in traditional Zapotec medicine.
During the Mexican Revolution, Yameli Moctezuma (1887-1964) was a prominent activist and organizer who fought for women's rights and social justice.
More recently, Yameli Aguilar (1942-2020) was a celebrated Mexican author and poet, known for her works exploring themes of indigenous identity and the female experience.
While the name Yameli has ancient roots, it has remained in use among indigenous communities in Mexico and has also gained popularity in recent decades as a way to celebrate and honor the country's rich cultural heritage.
People
Yameli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yameli as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yameli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yameli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 161 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yameli 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 2,128,909 US residents.
Is Yameli a common name?
We classify Yameli as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 162 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yameli most popular?
The single biggest year for Yameli was 2019, when 49 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yameli is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Yameli in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 195 people with the name Yameli, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,993 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Yameli in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Yameli?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Yameli appears almost entirely female. Of the 186 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Yameli?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Yameli is Hispanic at 95.9%. The next largest groups are White (2.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Yameli most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Yameli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.9% (187 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Yameli in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yameli a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yameli 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 Yameli still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yameli 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 Yameli 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.
How many people have Yameli as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Yameli on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.