Given name
Mariela
Mariela is a feminine given name from Spanish. It is used in English and Spanish.
Original SpanishMaría
Meaning & origin
How it developed
In Spanish usage, Mariela is a diminutive of María.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1958. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mariela through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11,668
- 8 boys · 11,660 girls
- Most popular year
- 1992
- 532 babies
- 2025
- 183
- #1,232 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +23%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 183 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,232 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 23.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 524 in 1992. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (41). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 20,404 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.
Mariela’s family of names
In Spanish usage, Mariela is a diminutive of María. Mariela has a related form in Mariel. In English usage, Mariela has a related form in Mariel.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Mariela
- Mariela CastroCuban activistborn 1962
- Mariela ScaroneOlympic field hockey playerborn 1986
- Mariela Antoniskafield hockey playerborn 1975
- Mariela CoronelArgentinian footballerborn 1981
- Mariela GarrigaCuban actressborn 1989
- Mariela SpacekAustrian judokaborn 1974
- Mariela Baevapoliticianborn 1964
- Mariela VitaleArgentinian singer and actressborn 1982
- Mariela GonzálezCuban long-distance runnerborn 1974
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Mariela, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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