Marielys
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "shining from the sea".
Name Census estimates that about 363 living Americans carry the first name Marielys. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Marielys today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Marielys births was 2008 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Marielys. 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.
People living today
363
~ 1 in 944,227 Americans
Peak year
2008
22 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,742
Tracked since 1989
Census
Marielys in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 705 people with the first name Marielys, which placed it at #16,105 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
#16,105
National first-name rank
People counted
705
705 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
95.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marielys
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marielys is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Marielys 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 Marielys at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.3% · 672
- White2.4% · 17
- Black or African American1.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
- Two or more races0.3% · 2
Popularity
Marielys: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Marielys from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 146 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Marielys remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Marielys 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 Marielys during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Marielys' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Florida, New York, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Marielys, while Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Marielys
The name Marielys is of Spanish origin, derived from the combination of the names Maria and Elis. Maria is a classic name that can be traced back to ancient Hebrew, meaning "bitter" or "beloved." Elis, on the other hand, is a variant of the name Elizabeth, which has its roots in the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "God is my oath."
This unique blend of names is believed to have emerged in the Spanish-speaking regions of the Caribbean, particularly in Puerto Rico, during the late 19th or early 20th century. It was likely a result of the fusion of Spanish and indigenous cultural influences in the area.
While the name Marielys does not have any direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its components, Maria and Elizabeth, are prominent names in Christian traditions. Maria, for instance, is the name of the mother of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, while Elizabeth was the name of John the Baptist's mother.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marielys can be found in Puerto Rican birth records from the early 20th century. Over time, the name gained popularity not only in Puerto Rico but also in other Spanish-speaking countries and communities.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Marielys. One such figure was Marielys Burgos Muñiz (1944-2022), a renowned Puerto Rican poet, essayist, and academic who made significant contributions to the literary landscape of her homeland.
Another notable Marielys was Marielys Garrido (born 1959), a Venezuelan actress and singer who achieved fame in the 1980s and 1990s for her roles in telenovelas and her successful music career.
In the field of sports, Marielys Jordán (born 1983) is a notable name. She is a Puerto Rican track and field athlete who has represented her country in multiple Olympic Games and won several medals in international competitions.
Marielys Molina (born 1979) is another prominent figure, known for her work as a Mexican actress and model. She has appeared in numerous telenovelas and films, gaining widespread recognition in Latin America.
Lastly, Marielys Mejías (born 1987) is a Venezuelan model and beauty queen who won the Miss Venezuela title in 2009 and represented her country in the Miss Universe pageant.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Marielys throughout history, showcasing its cultural significance and diverse representation across various fields.
People
Marielys + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Marielys as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Marielys: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Marielys?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 363 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Marielys 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 944,227 US residents.
Is Marielys a common name?
We classify Marielys as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 368 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Marielys most popular?
The single biggest year for Marielys was 2008, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Marielys is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Marielys in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 705 people with the name Marielys, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,105 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 Marielys 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 Marielys?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Marielys appears almost entirely female. Of the 700 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Marielys?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Marielys is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Marielys most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Marielys in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (672 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 Marielys in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Marielys a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Marielys 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 Marielys still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Marielys 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 Marielys 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 many Americans are named Marielys?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.