Mariel
Mariel was the 893rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 298 babies. Its best year was 1992, when it ranked 772nd; the most babies were born in 2025 (298). Over the last ten years it has moved up 954 places. More babies were named Mariel in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Mary · Hebrew, Spanish
Say it MAIR-ee-el /ˈmɛriəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #893 girls, up 1,078 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 298girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025298 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,603babies recorded
What does the name Mariel mean?
Mariel is a diminutive of Mary, or of its Latin and Spanish form Maria, made with the ending -el; Wikipedia adds that the older name Muriel probably shaped it. Mary goes back through Greek and Latin to Hebrew Miryam, whose meaning is uncertain: DMNES reports the common link with a root meaning 'bitter' and an alternative link with 'rebellion'. Mariel is also a port town in Cuba, known in the US from the Mariel boatlift; Wiktionary lists the town and the given name as separate senses.
Mary / Maria (English / Latin, “the name Mary, of uncertain meaning”)מִרְיָם (Biblical Hebrew, “Miriam; meaning uncertain”)
How sure is this? Probable. The diminutive formation is clear; the meaning of the parent name Mary is uncertain.
Related names: Mariela, Mariella, Marielle, Maria, Mary, Muriel.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Mariel', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Mariel (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Mary', DMNES, Durham University
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Mariel popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 121 since 1979, 5 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #893 | 298 |
| 2020 | #1,971 | 96 |
| 2010 | #1,870 | 109 |
| 2000 | #1,235 | 161 |
| 1990 | #960 | 196 |
| 1980 | #1,000 | 147 |
| 1970 | #5,281 | 10 |
| 1960 | #5,500 | 7 |
| 1950 | #5,812 | 5 |
| 1940 | #2,671 | 11 |
| 1930 | #2,509 | 13 |
| 1920 | #3,832 | 8 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Mariel, counting every spelling?
Mariel is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #669 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #893 for Mariel on its own. Together these spellings went to 426 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mariel | 298 | #893 | 897 |
| Marielle | 121 | #1,699 | 496 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Mariel?
298 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Mariel (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Mariel born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Mariel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Mariel?
About 7,000 people born in the US named Mariel are alive today, with a median age of 29; half are between 14 and 38. That makes Mariel mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Mariel by state
How common Mariel was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (3.5×), Texas (3.4×), California (1.8×). In 36 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Mariel: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Mariel, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Mariel · Sibling names for Mariel
Questions about the name Mariel
What does Mariel mean?
Mariel means “pet form of Mary” (Hebrew, Spanish origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Mariel?
Mariel was the 893rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 298 babies. Its best year was 1992, when it ranked 772nd; the most babies were born in 2025 (298). Over the last ten years it has moved up 954 places. More babies were named Mariel in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Mariel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Mariel in the US.
Where is Mariel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Mariel was most common in Arizona (0.39 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and Nevada.