Given name
Jamela
“a beautiful and elegant lady”
Jamela is a variant of Jameelah. One Arabic interpretation is “a beautiful and elegant lady.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Jamela is a variant of Jameelah. One Arabic interpretation is “a beautiful and elegant lady.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Jamela is a variant of Jameelah. An origin associated with Jameelah is Arabic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1957. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Jamela through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 945
- 0 boys · 945 girls
- Most popular year
- 1986
- 35 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #12,446 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 12,446 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 35 in 1986. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 880 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Jamela’s family of names
Jamela has a related form in Jameelah. In English usage, Jamela has a conventional equivalent in the German form DJAMILA.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Jamela, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jamilah
“a beautiful and elegant lady”
>99% girls
Jamila
“a beautiful and elegant lady”
>99% girls
Jacklyn
“the supplanter”
>99% girls
Alona
“one who is as strong as an oak”
>99% girls
Jaclyn
“the supplanter”
>99% girls
Janna
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Camelia
“a ceremonial attendant; a noble virgin”
>99% girls
Alaura
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls