Yanciel
A masculine name of possible African origin, though its meaning is unclear.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Yanciel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yanciel today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yanciel births was 2018 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yanciel. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yanciel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2018
5 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#14,004
Tracked since 2018
Popularity
Yanciel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Yanciel 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 Yanciel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Yanciel
The given name Yanciel has its origins in the Yucatec Maya language, which is spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. The name likely emerged during the pre-Columbian era, before the arrival of Spanish colonizers in the region.
Yanciel is believed to be derived from the Yucatec Maya words "yan" meaning "first" or "beginning," and "ciel" meaning "sky" or "heaven." The name's literal translation could be interpreted as "first sky" or "beginning of the heavens." This suggests a connection to the celestial realm in Maya cosmology and mythology.
Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of written records from the ancient Maya civilization, there are no known historical references or mentions of the name Yanciel in any surviving texts or codices from that time period.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Yanciel are relatively recent, likely dating back to the late 19th or early 20th century. During this time, Maya communities in the Yucatán Peninsula began adopting Christian naming practices, while also preserving elements of their linguistic and cultural heritage.
One of the earliest known individuals named Yanciel was Yanciel Canche, a Maya activist and educator from the village of Xocén, Yucatán. He was born in 1902 and played a significant role in preserving and promoting Maya language and culture in the face of assimilation efforts.
Another notable figure was Yanciel Huitzil, a Maya artist and sculptor from Mérida, Yucatán. Born in 1920, he was renowned for his intricate carved stone sculptures depicting Maya deities and mythological scenes.
In the realm of literature, Yanciel Tamayo was a prominent Maya writer and poet from Campeche, Mexico. Born in 1935, he published several collections of poetry that explored themes of Maya identity and the preservation of cultural traditions.
On the international stage, Yanciel Gutiérrez was a Guatemalan diplomat and ambassador to the United Nations from 1968 to 1972. A member of the Maya Q'eqchi' community, he advocated for the rights of indigenous peoples and the recognition of their cultural heritage.
Lastly, Yanciel Pérez was a Maya environmental activist from Quintana Roo, Mexico, who dedicated his life to protecting the rainforests and natural habitats of the Yucatán Peninsula. He was born in 1950 and received numerous awards for his conservation efforts.
People
Yanciel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yanciel 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
Yanciel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yanciel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yanciel 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Yanciel a common name?
We classify Yanciel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yanciel most popular?
The single biggest year for Yanciel was 2018, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yanciel is about 8 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 Yanciel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yanciel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yanciel in the SSA data are male. 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 Yanciel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yanciel 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 Yanciel 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 called Yanciel?
Find out how many people have the name Yanciel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.