Nayeli
Nayeli was the 271st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,151 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 175th with 1,845 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 187 places. More babies were named Nayeli in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin not documented
Say it nah-YEL-ee /nɑˈjɛli/
- Rank in 2025
- #271 girls, up 153 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,151girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20011,845 babies
- Total since 1880
- 24,665babies recorded
What does the name Nayeli mean?
Nayeli is a name used mainly in Mexican and Mexican American families, recorded in the US since the late 1970s. It is often said to come from a Zapotec phrase meaning "I love you", but no dictionary or scholarly source consulted confirms this, and Wiktionary has no entry. Until a Zapotec-language source is checked, its origin should be treated as undocumented.
How sure is this? Not documented. The Zapotec 'I love you' explanation is widespread online but unverified.
Other explanations you may read: Zapotec for 'I love you'.
Related names: Nayely, Nayelli.
Sources for this meaning
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
Nayeli popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 14 since 2002.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #271 | 1,151 |
| 2020 | #424 | 724 |
| 2010 | #388 | 823 |
| 2000 | #607 | 418 |
| 1990 | #1,592 | 95 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Nayeli, counting every spelling?
Nayeli is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #277 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #271 for Nayeli on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,218 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nayeli | 1,151 | #271 | 4,820 |
| Nayelli | 40 | #3,753 | 193 |
| Nayely | 13 | #8,210 | 79 |
| Nayelie | 8 | #11,627 | 34 |
| Nayellie | 6 | #14,427 | 27 |
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 Nayeli?
1,151 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Nayeli (0.32 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Nayeli 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Nayeli.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Nayeli?
About 24,400 people born in the US named Nayeli are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 7 and 23. That makes Nayeli 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.
Nayeli by state
How common Nayeli was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (4.0×), Rhode Island (3.0×), Nevada (2.6×), Arizona (2.6×), Oregon (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Nayeli: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Nayeli, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Nayeli · Sibling names for Nayeli
Questions about the name Nayeli
How popular is the name Nayeli?
Nayeli was the 271st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,151 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 175th with 1,845 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 187 places. More babies were named Nayeli in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Nayeli a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Nayeli in the US.
Where is Nayeli most popular?
In 2021–2025, Nayeli was most common in New Mexico (2.38 per 1,000 girls), followed by Rhode Island and Nevada.