Nayelis
A feminine name of Native American origin, meaning "path covered with flowers".
Name Census estimates that about 507 living Americans carry the first name Nayelis. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nayelis today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nayelis births was 2001 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nayelis. 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
507
~ 1 in 676,044 Americans
Peak year
2001
43 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,268
Tracked since 2001
Census
Nayelis in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 699 people with the first name Nayelis, which placed it at #16,219 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
#16,219
National first-name rank
People counted
699
699 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
95.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nayelis
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nayelis is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Black (1.6%). 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 Nayelis 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 Nayelis at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.7% · 669
- White2.0% · 14
- Black or African American1.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
- Two or more races0.1% · 1
Popularity
Nayelis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nayelis from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 225 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nayelis 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 Nayelis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nayelis' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Florida, New York, Massachusetts recorded the most babies named Nayelis, while New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 32 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Nayelis
The name Nayelis has its roots in the indigenous cultures of Central America, specifically the Yucatán Peninsula. It is believed to have originated from the Mayan language, where the word "nay" means "mother" or "lady," and "el" means "she." Thus, the name Nayelis can be interpreted as "she who is a mother" or "she who is a lady."
The earliest recorded use of the name Nayelis dates back to the late 16th century, during the Spanish colonization of the region. It was commonly given to Mayan women who embraced Christianity and took on a Christian name. The name's association with motherhood and femininity made it a popular choice among the Mayan people.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Nayelis was Nayelis de Xalisco, a Mayan noblewoman who lived in the late 16th century. She is mentioned in historical records as a prominent figure in her community and played a role in the preservation of Mayan cultural traditions during the Spanish conquest.
In the 18th century, Nayelis Cansino was a renowned healer and midwife in the Yucatán region. Her knowledge of traditional Mayan medicine and her dedication to helping women during childbirth earned her great respect among her people.
During the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century, Nayelis Gutiérrez was a courageous guerrilla fighter who fought alongside the revolutionary forces. Her bravery and commitment to the cause of freedom and justice made her a symbol of strength and resilience.
Another notable figure with the name Nayelis was Nayelis Montesinos, a Mayan artist and sculptor who lived in the mid-20th century. Her works celebrated the rich cultural heritage of the Mayan people and helped to preserve their artistic traditions.
In more recent times, Nayelis Chávez has been a prominent activist for indigenous rights in Central America. She has dedicated her life to advocating for the preservation of Mayan languages, cultural practices, and land rights, earning her widespread respect and admiration.
People
Nayelis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nayelis as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nayelis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nayelis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 507 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nayelis 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 676,044 US residents.
Is Nayelis a common name?
We classify Nayelis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 513 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nayelis most popular?
The single biggest year for Nayelis was 2001, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nayelis is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nayelis in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 699 people with the name Nayelis, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,219 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 Nayelis 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 Nayelis?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nayelis appears almost entirely female. Of the 686 people counted with this name, 99.9% 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 Nayelis?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nayelis is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.0%) and Black (1.6%). 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 Nayelis most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Nayelis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (669 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 Nayelis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nayelis a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nayelis 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 Nayelis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nayelis 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 Nayelis 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 people have the name Nayelis?
See how many people have the name Nayelis on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.