Yetzali
An indigenous Nahuatl name meaning "flower which blooms in the morning".
Name Census estimates that about 408 living Americans carry the first name Yetzali. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yetzali today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yetzali births was 2022 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yetzali. 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
408
~ 1 in 840,084 Americans
Peak year
2022
46 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,272
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Yetzali: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yetzali from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 234 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Yetzali remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yetzali 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 Yetzali during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yetzalis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yetzali
The name Yetzali originates from the Nahuatl language, spoken by the Aztec people of ancient Mexico. It can be traced back to pre-Columbian times, prior to the 16th century Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.
Yetzali is derived from the Nahuatl words "yetzia" meaning "to bloom" and "xochitl" meaning "flower." The name therefore carries the poetic meaning of "blooming flower" or "one who blooms like a flower." It reflects the deep reverence the Aztecs held for nature and the cycles of life.
While no definitive historical references to the name Yetzali have been found in ancient Aztec codices or stone inscriptions, it is believed to have been in use among the indigenous nobility and common folk alike. The name's floral symbolism aligns with the Aztec tradition of naming children after natural elements or concepts.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Yetzali was a 16th century Nahua woman from Tlaxcala, a region allied with the Spanish conquistadors against the Aztec Empire. Her story is briefly mentioned in the writings of Spanish chroniclers, though few details are known.
In the 19th century, Yetzali Reyes (1830-1902) was a prominent educator and activist from Veracruz, Mexico. She advocated for women's rights and established several schools for underprivileged children.
Yetzali Rojas (1892-1975) was a Mexican painter and sculptor, known for her vibrant depictions of indigenous life and traditions. Her works are featured in several museums across Mexico.
Yetzali Hernández (1921-2007) was a Xochimilco-born actress who appeared in numerous Mexican films during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s.
Yetzali Navarrete (born 1986) is a contemporary Mexican actress and model, best known for her role in the telenovela "Amor Bravío" and for being crowned Miss Universe in 2010.
Throughout its history, the name Yetzali has maintained its connection to the rich cultural heritage of Mexico's indigenous peoples, while also being embraced by modern Mexican society as a beautiful and meaningful name.
People
Yetzali + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yetzali 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
Yetzali: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yetzali?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 408 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yetzali 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 840,084 US residents.
Is Yetzali a common name?
We classify Yetzali as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 411 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yetzali most popular?
The single biggest year for Yetzali was 2022, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yetzali 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 Yetzali in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yetzali a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yetzali 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 Yetzali still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yetzali 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 Yetzali 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 have Yetzali as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.