Name Awesome

Jael

#1,393 in 2025UnisexGirls' nameBoys' name

Ibex, through יעל

Jael has been given to 7,948 babies in the U.S. since 1957. In 2025 it ranked #1,393 of 17,293 girls’ names in use. Its peak year was 2012, with 206 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 57% girls, 43% boys all-time.

Babies named Jael, 2025

1 in 21,100

Jael over time, 1880–2025

GirlsBoys
010020030018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Jael over time

In 2025, Jael went to 52% girls and 48% boys.

19572025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Jael: meaning, origin, and history

Ibex, through יעל

Hebrew

What Jael means

Jael belongs to the name family reached through Jael → יעל. Its meaning is “ibex”.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From the name of a minor biblical character, Hebrew יעל.

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Jael (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Jael is used in English. Its origins include Hebrew.

Jael comes through Hebrew יעל.

Related names and everyday forms

Related names include יעל.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 4,561 girls were recorded with the name Jael between 1957 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 206 in 2012; its best national rank was #1,197 in 2012.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #1,636 in 2020 to #1,393 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #1,501 in 2015 to #1,393 in 2025.

In the United States, 3,387 boys were recorded with the name Jael between 1979 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 203 in 2012; its best national rank was #987 in 2012.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #1,184 in 2020 to #1,317 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #1,364 in 2015 to #1,317 in 2025.

How common is Jael?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 21,100
157 of 3,315,165 births
Among girls only
1 in 10,200
<0.01% of girls
Rank, 2025
#1,393
of 17,293 girls’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
14,637 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Jael sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Olivia (13,544)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 5002%

Put another way: gather 14,637 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Jael. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Jaels were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Jael was born before 2011 — so the typical Jael is around 14 today.

Median birth year
2011
About 14 years old
Biggest decade
2010s
35.7% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
76.5%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
4,561
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2010s — 35.7% of all recorded uses (1,630).

Is Jael rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
+75
Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago
+243
Places climbed
Rank vs 10 years ago
+108
Places climbed
Births vs 10 years ago
1.03×
More babies than then
Share of its own peak
76.2%
Peak was 2012 (206)
Years since peak
13
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Shifting
14.4% average annual change
Best rank ever
#1,197
2012

Spellings of Jael

Jael is not the most common spelling — Janet is, with 21.7% against Jael's 0.18%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Jael is used — girls

Across 2016–2025, Jael was most concentrated in Florida — about 1 in 5,882 girls, against 1 in 11,411 across all states with data. It was least common in Wisconsin (1 in 50,000).

217 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1Florida1 in 5,882
  2. 2Georgia1 in 7,692
  3. 3New Jersey1 in 8,333
  4. 4Maryland1 in 9,091
  5. 5New York1 in 9,091
  6. 6Pennsylvania1 in 9,091
  7. 7Ohio1 in 10,000
  8. 8Washington1 in 10,000

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Where Jael is used — boys

Across 2016–2025, Jael was most concentrated in New Jersey — about 1 in 4,545 boys, against 1 in 10,672 across all states with data. It was least common in Ohio (1 in 100,000).

122 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1New Jersey1 in 4,545
  2. 2New York1 in 5,000
  3. 3Rhode Island1 in 6,667
  4. 4Florida1 in 7,692
  5. 5Pennsylvania1 in 8,333
  6. 6Texas1 in 9,091
  7. 7Arizona1 in 11,111
  8. 8California1 in 11,111

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Jael around the world

Where Jael ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1996–2025
    #3,035
    in 2025
  • Ireland
    2004–2004
    #677
    in 2004
  • France
    1968–2025
    #5,721
    in 2025
  • Canada
    1991–2024
    #2,463
    in 2024
  • South Australia
    2004–2012
    #871
    in 2012

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, Central Statistics Office, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. CSO, CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Notable people named Jael

People whose public names include Jael, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Jael in other languages

Cross-language forms and variants of Jael. Linked forms have their own page here.

Yael

Variant forms from Wikidata (CC0). Most are used mainly outside the United States; U.S. birth records statistics cover US usage only.

Jael by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#1,393
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 243
Best rank ever
#1,197
2012
Peak year
2012
206 that year
First recorded
1957
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
4,561
Count in 2025
157

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#1,317
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 133
Best rank ever
#987
2012
Peak year
2012
203 that year
First recorded
1979
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
3,387
Count in 2025
147

Names similar to Jael

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

YaelJaelaJaedaLaelJaeJaedynJaelynJaelynnJaelahGaelJaelleJaeliJaeleeIsraelJaelaniAbigaelJaelinRaelJaedenJaeleneJaeleenAnaelMichaelJaely

Names with a curve like Jael

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Jael, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

EllyKamilleNailahElaynaKalinaTahliaKaleaTaliahLeenaJazzlynMarlieKalia

Sibling names for Jael

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Jael

Top names of 2012, Jael's peak yearThe 2010s in fullOther names that peaked in 2012Girls' names starting with J