Areli
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "altar of God".
Name Census estimates that about 6,436 living Americans carry the first name Areli. It is a predominantly female name (98.4% of registrations). The average person named Areli today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Areli births was 2008 (330 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Areli. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Areli with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Areli is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 107 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
6.4K
~ 1 in 53,256 Americans
Peak year
2008
330 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,422
Tracked since 1966
Census
Areli in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,778 people with the first name Areli, which placed it at #2,924 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,924
National first-name rank
People counted
7.8K
7,778 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
96.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Areli
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Areli is Hispanic at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Black (0.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Areli described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Areli at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.8% · 7,529
- White1.9% · 145
- Black or African American0.6% · 48
- Two or more races0.3% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Gender
Gender distribution for Areli
Areli leans heavily female at 98.4% of total registrations, but 107 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Areli as a male name
- Ranked #9,012 in 2024
- 8 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (9 births)
Areli as a female name
- Ranked #1,422 in 2024
- 156 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (330 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Areli leans strongly female. 7,517 people counted with this name were female (96.7%), compared with 255 male bearers (3.3%).
Popularity
Areli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Areli from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 2,622 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Areli by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Areli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Arelis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 25 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Areli, while Wisconsin, Virginia, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 200 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Areli
The given name Areli is derived from the Nahuatl language, spoken by the Aztec people of ancient Mexico. It is believed to have originated sometime between the 13th and 16th centuries CE. The name is thought to be a combination of two Nahuatl words: "arel," meaning "to grow" or "to flourish," and "li," which is a suffix indicating a place or location.
In Aztec mythology, there are references to a goddess named Aretli or Arelhu, who was associated with fertility, growth, and abundance. It's possible that the name Areli was inspired by or related to this deity. However, direct connections between the name and specific ancient texts or religious scriptures are unclear.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Areli can be found in historical documents from the Spanish colonial era in Mexico, dating back to the 16th or 17th century. During this time, it was common for indigenous Nahuatl names to be adopted or adapted by Spanish colonizers and missionaries.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the first name Areli, including:
1. Areli Hernández (1979-), a Mexican actress and singer known for her work in telenovelas and films.
2. Areli Cáceres Carrera (1986-), a Mexican politician and former member of the Chamber of Deputies.
3. Areli Mondragon (1977-), a Mexican actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films.
4. Areli Quintero (1970-), a Mexican artist and painter known for her vibrant and colorful works.
5. Areli Guzman (1993-), a Mexican professional boxer and former world champion in the lightweight division.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Areli throughout history, spanning various fields and professions. While the name has its roots in ancient Nahuatl culture, it continues to be used and celebrated in modern times, particularly in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
People
Areli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Areli as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Areli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Areli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,436 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Areli going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 53,256 US residents.
Is Areli a common name?
We classify Areli as "Rare". It ranks above 97% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,552 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Areli most popular?
The single biggest year for Areli was 2008, when 330 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Areli is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Areli in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,778 people with the name Areli, or 2.58 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,924 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Areli in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Areli?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Areli leans strongly female. 7,517 people counted with this name were female (96.7%), compared with 255 male bearers (3.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Areli?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Areli is Hispanic at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Black (0.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Areli most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Areli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.8% (7,529 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Areli in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Areli a female name?
Yes, 98.4% of people registered as Areli in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Areli still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Areli in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Areli can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How common is the name Areli?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Areli at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.