unisex name
Guadalupe
gwah-dah-LOO-peh
- Origin Spanish
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 3
- Letters 9
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 92,060
Guadalupe is half Arabic and half Latin — wadi, a valley or river, joined to a word for a wolf. It is 73 percent female in our records despite being used freely for both.
- Guadalupe is a name of Spanish origin.
- Peaked in 1997, when 1,656 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 16,252 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 3.
Guadalupe over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 117 |
| 1890s | 280 |
| 1900s | 619 |
| 1910s | 2,340 |
| 1920s | 5,910 |
| 1930s | 5,093 |
| 1940s | 7,812 |
| 1950s | 8,966 |
| 1960s | 6,639 |
| 1970s | 8,057 |
| 1980s | 8,726 |
| 1990s | 14,490 |
| 2000s | 14,566 |
| 2010s | 6,749 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,633 |
What Guadalupe means
Guadalupe means the river of the wolf, or valley of wolves. The Arabic wadi supplies the river and a Latin or Iberian element supplies the animal, so the name is a hybrid of two languages.
Where Guadalupe comes from
Guadalupe is a river in Extremadura, from the Arabic wadi, a valley or seasonal river, joined to an element usually read as the Latin lupus, a wolf — a hybrid formed during the centuries of Muslim rule in Iberia. The same wadi begins Guadalajara and Guadalquivir. The name's weight comes from Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose 1531 apparition near Mexico City made her the patron of Mexico and the Americas, which is why a Spanish river name is now overwhelmingly a Mexican one.
Guadalupe in use
Guadalupe peaked in the United States in 1997, when 1,656 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 1248th in the United States on 204 births, across 92,060 lifetime births. About 73 percent of recorded births are female, so it remains genuinely used for both sexes — Marian names in Spanish are often given to boys as well.
How popular is Guadalupe?
In 2025, Guadalupe was given to 204 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Guadalupe 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.
Names that peaked alongside Guadalupe
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Guadalupe also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Guadalupe over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Guadalupe
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.
Guadalupe 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 Guadalupe
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Guadalupe — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Guadalupe
What does the name Guadalupe mean?
River of the wolf — the Arabic wadi, a valley or river, joined to a word for a wolf.
Is Guadalupe a boys' name?
For about 27 percent of the births in our records. Spanish Marian names are often given to boys.
Which other Spanish places use wadi?
Guadalajara and Guadalquivir both begin with the same Arabic element.
Why is it a Mexican name?
Our Lady of Guadalupe's 1531 apparition near Mexico City made her patron of Mexico and the Americas.
How popular is the name Guadalupe?
In 2025, Guadalupe was given to 204 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
How many syllables are in Guadalupe?
Guadalupe has 3 syllables.
When was Guadalupe most popular?
Guadalupe peaked in 1997, when 1,656 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Guadalupe?
Guadalupe is usually shortened to Lupe and Lupita.
Is Guadalupe a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Guadalupe currently ranks #1,248 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.