Mariela means beloved — the Spanish diminutive of Maria, from the Hebrew Miriam. Mariela Castro is Cuba's most prominent LGBTQ+ rights advocate. The -ela ending gives maximum Spanish-feminine flowing. Four syllables of Maria-beloved through the most flowing Spanish diminutive.
Mariela is the Spanish diminutive of Maria meaning beloved. Mariela Castro is Cuba's most prominent LGBTQ+ rights advocate.
2
First recorded
Earliest known use: Spanish diminutive; Mariela Castro.
3
Today
Mariela remains a beloved choice, ranking #1524 in the US. 11,483 babies have been named Mariela since 1958.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, SSA data
◆
How popular is Mariela?
1992peak year
Mariela first appears in the U.S. registration record in 1958. Its popularity climbed over the following decades. In 1992, 524 babies received the name (ranked #471). Today it sits well outside the top 1,000 (around #1524), with roughly 146 babies named Mariela each year. Mariela's usage has held roughly steady recently. In total, around 11,483 babies have been registered with this name since 1880.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Mariela's Life Path 6 is the nurturer's number — beloved nurturing. People named Mariela tend to be warm, flowing, and gifted at being Maria's most Spanish-beloved form.
Every name has a homeland. Discover beautiful girl names rooted in cultures from around the world — each with full meanings, origin stories and pronunciation.