Gabriela is a feminine given name of Latin origin, derived from the male name Gabriel. The name Gabriel has Hebrew origins and means "God is my strength." Therefore, Gabriela can be interpreted as "God is my strength" or "strong man of God."
The name Gabriela first appeared in the Middle Ages as a variant of Gabrielle, which was used as both a masculine and feminine name. However, it became more popularly used as a feminine name during the Renaissance period.
Gabriela has been worn by several notable figures throughout history. In literature, Gabriela Mistral was a Chilean poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945. She was the first Latin American woman to receive this prestigious award. In sports, Gabriela Sabatini is an Argentine former tennis player who reached No. 3 in the world rankings and won multiple Grand Slam tournaments.
Today, Gabriela remains a popular choice for parents seeking a name that combines strength and elegance. It continues to be widely used throughout Latin America and has gained popularity in other parts of the world as well. Despite its historical roots, Gabriela still feels contemporary and unique.
Statistics on the given name Gabriela in the United States from 1974 to 2007 show a fluctuating yet increasing trend overall.
In the first five years, the number of newborn girls named Gabriela remained relatively low, with between 6 and 8 births each year. However, starting from 1986, there was a significant increase in popularity, reaching a peak of 26 births in three consecutive years from 1992 to 1994.
The decade of the 1990s saw a total of 255 Gabriela births, with an average of about 25.5 births per year. This was more than double the number of Gabrielas born in the first 13 years combined (from 1974 to 1986), demonstrating a growing trend during this period.
However, the late 1990s and early 2000s saw a decline again, with fewer than 15 births per year on average between 1995 and 2003. Despite this drop, there were still some years where more than 10 Gabrielas were born, indicating that the name retained some level of popularity.
From 2004 onwards, the number of Gabriela births stabilized around a dozen per year, with peaks in 2006 and 2007. Over these four years, there were a total of 58 births, bringing the overall total from 1974 to 2007 to 371 newborn girls named Gabriela.
These statistics demonstrate the ebb and flow of popularity for the name Gabriela in the United States over several decades. While it may not have been one of the most popular names during this period, it nonetheless maintained a consistent presence among baby girls' names.