Name of the Day: Guadalupe

December 12

Guadalupe

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated throughout Mexico on December 12 each year. Our Lady of Guadalupe refers to a Catholic title for the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus — the Patron Saint of Mexico.

This feast day commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary to the Mexican peasant Juan Diego in 1531, asking for a church to be built on the site in her honor and requesting to be known under the title Guadalupe. To this day on December 12, people make a pilgrimage to the site from all around as an act of devotion and gratitude to Mary.

Pronounced “gwah-dah-LOO-pay”, Guadalupe stems from the native Nahuatl language, meaning “hidden river” or “valley of the wolves”. A traditional and long-time popular name in Mexico, the name Guadalupe has been on a slow decline since the 90s — but Maria Guadalupe still ranks as high as #18, and Guadalupe at #24.

In the US, 240 baby girls were named Guadalupe in 2022, as well as 41 baby boys.

Lupita is a related name more recently associated with Academy award-winning Mexican-born Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o.