Nalleli
Feminine
Nalleli is a Spanish spelling of Nayeli, a name popular among Mexican and Mexican American families and often said to come from Zapotec. It is three soft syllables with the stress in the middle.
How old is the name Nalleli?
Nalleli first appears in US birth records in 1984 — 41 years ago. The typical Nalleli alive today was born around 2001, making them about 24 years old. About 600 people named Nalleli are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Nalleli most popular?
Nalleli peaked in 2001, reaching #2126 nationally. See the whole 2001 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Nalleli
The Zapotec people of Oaxaca built one of the first cities of the Americas, Monte Albán, on a mountaintop they leveled by hand, with plazas, temples and carved stones that still look out over three valleys. Nayeli is often said to carry a Zapotec phrase of love, and whether or not the translation holds, families chose it to honor that heritage. Nalleli spells it with the Spanish double l, so that the name looks as Spanish as it sounds.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Nayeli is widely described as Zapotec for I love you, but no Zapotec dictionary confirms it, and the language has many varieties. Nalleli writes the y sound with the Spanish ll.
Pronouncing Nalleli
nah-YEH-lee
Stress on the middle syllable; the ll is said as y.
Nicknames for Nalleli
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1984
- Most girls named
- 200177 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2126reached in 2001
- Change vs 2016
- −37.5%5 in 2017, from 8
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Nallelis among us
people named Nalleli are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Nalleli sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It connects to a real Indigenous heritage in Mexico.
- It is soft and musical.
- English speakers will say the ll as l, nah-LEL-ee.
- The popular meaning, I love you, is not confirmed by any dictionary.
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Nalleli
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Nallelis are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Nalleli are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Nalleli in 2025?
- Nalleli is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Nalleli with classmates?
- Nalleli will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More N names
The most-given names starting with N, all years combined.
Nancy#965 · Nicole#382 · Natalie#89 · Norma#2002 · Nora#20 · Naomi#47 · Nellie#533 · Nina#324
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Nalleli? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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