boys' name ★ peaked 2024

Gael

Meaning Borrowed from Irish Gael, alt Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #86 Trend ↑ Rising 29%

Borrowed from Irish Gael, alt.

Rank 2025
#86
among boys · ↑3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
3,866
named Gael
How common
1 in 443
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2024
3,879 babies
All-time total
49,752
#518 all-time among boys
First recorded
1919
in Social Security records

Gael popularity over time

49,752 babies have been named Gael since 1919, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 5 5 1 – #4,405
1920s – 10 10 1 +100% #4,445
1930s 56 23 79 8 +690% #2,945
1940s 179 30 209 21 +165% #1,946
1950s 159 8 167 17 -20% #2,947
1960s 78 – 78 8 -53% –
1970s 19 – 19 2 -76% –
1980s – 6 6 1 -68% #7,294
1990s 5 97 102 10 +1600% #3,659
2000s 52 6,911 6,963 696 +6726% #296
2010s 70 20,344 20,414 2,041 +193% #132
2020s (to 2025) 55 21,645 21,700 3,617 +77% #86

Where Gael is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 4,034 2.36 #81
2027 4,188 2.45 #79
2028 4,323 2.53 #77
2029 4,442 2.60 #75
2030 4,545 2.66 #73

Where Gael is most popular

Boys named Gael per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 2.13 per 1,000. Strongest in Nevada, Texas, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Gael born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Nevada 271 4.75 +123%
Texas 4,023 4.57 +115%
California 4,110 4.50 +111%
New Mexico 148 4.49 +111%
Arizona 647 3.95 +86%
Illinois 810 3.17 +49%
Colorado 384 2.98 +40%
District of Columbia 42 2.85 +34%
Delaware 41 2.70 +27%
New Jersey 530 2.63 +24%
Oklahoma 217 2.45 +15%
Maryland 292 2.45 +15%
Nebraska 104 2.39 +12%
Oregon 176 2.32 +9%
Washington 363 2.22 ≈ national
Arkansas 134 2.12 ≈ national
New York 910 2.10 ≈ national
Kansas 139 2.03 -5%
Georgia 511 2.02 -5%
North Carolina 511 2.00 -6%
Massachusetts 272 1.98 -7%
Florida 926 1.96 -8%
Connecticut 117 1.73 -19%
Rhode Island 27 1.66 -22%
Utah 158 1.66 -22%
Iowa 114 1.65 -22%
Virginia 305 1.61 -24%
Tennessee 283 1.57 -26%
Alabama 170 1.56 -27%
South Carolina 155 1.50 -30%
Idaho 61 1.49 -30%
Indiana 198 1.23 -42%
Kentucky 113 1.13 -47%
Wisconsin 133 1.12 -47%
Louisiana 112 1.09 -49%
Minnesota 134 1.09 -49%
Pennsylvania 249 0.938 -56%
Mississippi 44 0.774 -64%
South Dakota 13 0.699 -67%
Ohio 175 0.660 -69%
Missouri 84 0.606 -72%
Michigan 119 0.581 -73%
Alaska – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Gael

Gael is a top-100 name for boys in the United States, ranked #86 in 2025 with 3,860 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1919, 49,752 American babies have been named Gael. Its peak came in 2024, when 3,879 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Gael stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Gael?

The median living Gael is about 7 years old; half are between 3 and 12. An estimated 49 thousand people named Gael are alive in the United States today.

median 7 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Gael year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 6 #13,778 3,860 #86
2024 7 #12,613 3,872 #89
2023 11 #9,196 3,629 #100
2022 13 #8,204 3,509 #104
2021 9 #10,566 3,513 #109
2020 9 #10,547 3,262 #112
2019 8 #11,721 2,900 #133
2018 7 #12,924 2,931 #132
2017 6 #14,727 2,239 #178
2016 8 #12,146 2,248 #178
2015 7 #13,480 1,783 #220
2014 6 #15,238 1,809 #213
2013 14 #8,284 2,307 #177
2012 9 #11,591 2,745 #146
2011 5 #17,678 690 #410
2010 – – 692 #408
2009 – – 1,003 #319
2008 7 #14,344 1,119 #298
2007 6 #16,148 1,168 #296
2006 14 #8,401 1,026 #314
2005 11 #9,675 1,102 #297
2004 7 #13,213 751 #370
2003 7 #12,869 443 #526
2002 – – 246 #722
2001 – – 47 #2,190
2000 – – 6 #9,490
1995 – – 9 #6,081
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 6 #7,358 – –
1965 5 #6,842 – –
1960 8 #4,908 – –
1955 12 #3,444 – –
1950 15 #2,705 – –
1945 25 #1,672 – –
1940 10 #2,811 – –
1935 5 #4,457 – –
1930 – – 5 #4,211
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Gael

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Gael García Bernal Gael García Bernal Mexican actor and filmmaker (born 1978) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Gael, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Gael?

The median living Gael is about 7 years old. Half of all living Gaels are between 3 and 12 years old.

How many people named Gael are alive today?

An estimated 49 thousand people named Gael are alive in the United States, based on 49,752 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Gael mean?

Borrowed from Irish Gael, alt.

How popular is the name Gael in 2025?

Gael ranked #86 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 3,860 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Gael?

49,752 babies have been named Gael in the United States since 1919, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Gael most popular?

Gael peaked in 2024, when 3,879 newborns received the name.

Is Gael a boy or girl name?

Gael is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Gael rising or falling?

Gael is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Gael become more popular?

Gael is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 4,545 boys named Gael in 2030, which would rank around #73. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Gael?

Well-known people named Gael include Gael García Bernal (actor).

Names like Gael

Names that sound and feel close to Gael: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Gael with similar names → More names starting with G →