girl's name
Gabriela
gab-ree-EH-lah
- Origin Spanish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 4
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 96,124
the United States
#317
2025 births
Gabriela means God is my strength, and the archangel behind it is the one who announces rather than fights — Gabriel delivers the message in both Daniel and Luke, and in Islamic tradition brings the Qur'an.
- Gabriela is a name of Spanish origin.
- Peaked in 2003, when 3,369 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,450 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1903.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 3.
Gabriela over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 17 |
| 1910s | 51 |
| 1920s | 96 |
| 1930s | 40 |
| 1940s | 65 |
| 1950s | 251 |
| 1960s | 1,160 |
| 1970s | 4,125 |
| 1980s | 7,937 |
| 1990s | 24,251 |
| 2000s | 28,609 |
| 2010s | 14,034 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,917 |
What Gabriela means
Gabriela means God is my strength, or strong man of God. The Hebrew joins a word for strength or a man to el, God, so the compound attributes the strength to God.
Where Gabriela comes from
Gabriela is the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian feminine of Gabriel, from the Hebrew Gavri'el — gever, a strong man, joined to el, God. Gabriel is the announcing angel: he interprets Daniel's visions, tells Zechariah of John's birth and Mary of Jesus's, and in Islam he is Jibril, who conveys the Qur'an to Muhammad. Unlike Michael, who leads armies, Gabriel's role is entirely messenger, which is why he appears in art with a lily rather than a sword.
Gabriela in use
Gabriela peaked in the United States in 2003, when 3,369 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 317th in the United States on 961 births, 393rd in France on 135, 407th in Scotland on 8, 460th in Ireland on 8 and 497th in England and Wales on 81, across 96,124 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track. Those five sit inside 180 places of each other.
How popular is Gabriela?
In 2025, Gabriela was given to 961 babies in the United States, ranking #317 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Gabriela is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Gabriela is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Gabrièla | Gabrièla is a rare spelling of Gabriela, written with a grave accent and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
| Gabriéla | Gabriéla is a rare spelling of Gabriela, written with an acute accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Gabriela
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Gabriela also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Gabriela over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Gabriela
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Gabriela in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Gabriela
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Gabriela — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Gabriela
What does the name Gabriela mean?
God is my strength — the Hebrew gever, a strong man, joined to el, God.
What does the angel Gabriel do?
He announces. Gabriel delivers messages in Daniel and Luke, and in Islam conveys the Qur'an.
Is it Gabriela or Gabriella?
Gabriela is Spanish and Portuguese; Gabriella is Italian. Both are widely used.
How popular is Gabriela?
317th in the United States, with five markets inside 180 places of each other.
Is Gabriela a girl's or a boy's name?
Gabriela is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Gabriela?
Gabriela has 4 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Gabriela?
Gabriela is usually shortened to Gabi and Ella.
Is Gabriela a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Gabriela currently ranks #317 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.