Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1957

Gale

Meaning Gale is a given name Gender Unisex · 62% girls Rank 2025 Below top lists

Gale is a given name. It has seen masculine and feminine use consecutively in the United States.

Rank 2025
–
among girls
Babies in 2025
13
named Gale
How common
–
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1957
1,364 babies
All-time total
32,343
#1,074 all-time among girls
First recorded
1883
in Social Security records

Gale popularity over time

32,343 babies have been named Gale since 1883, 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
GirlsBoys

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 – 16 16 2 – –
1890s 16 53 69 7 +331% #1,441
1900s 34 115 149 15 +116% #1,262
1910s 168 865 1,033 103 +593% #1,459
1920s 331 2,008 2,339 234 +126% #1,210
1930s 1,040 2,428 3,468 347 +48% #394
1940s 4,900 3,109 8,009 801 +131% #271
1950s 9,479 2,295 11,774 1,177 +47% #244
1960s 2,997 837 3,834 383 -67% #393
1970s 650 361 1,011 101 -74% #981
1980s 191 134 325 33 -68% #2,658
1990s 58 61 119 12 -63% #7,483
2000s 13 37 50 5 -58% #12,208
2010s 24 64 88 9 +76% #12,902
2020s (to 2025) 5 54 59 10 +12% #15,986

The story of Gale

Gale is not currently in use for newborns in the United States: fewer than five babies received the name in 2025. Its story lives in the historical record below.

Since 1883, 32,343 American babies have been named Gale, about 62% girls and 38% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1957, when 1,364 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

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 Gale stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Gale?

The median living Gale is about 70 years old; half are between 66 and 76. An estimated 20 thousand people named Gale are alive in the United States today.

median 70 020406080100

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

Gale 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 – – 13 #6,581
2024 – – 13 #6,583
2023 5 #15,986 15 #6,028
2022 – – 6 #11,327
2021 – – – –
2020 – – 7 #9,904
2019 7 #12,902 7 #10,094
2018 – – 14 #6,136
2017 5 #16,709 10 #7,773
2016 – – 8 #9,120
2015 – – 8 #9,016
2014 – – 9 #8,364
2013 6 #15,257 8 #9,064
2012 – – – –
2011 6 #15,470 – –
2010 – – – –
2009 – – – –
2008 – – 5 #13,177
2007 – – 7 #10,127
2006 – – – –
2005 8 #12,208 5 #12,027
2004 – – – –
2003 – – 7 #8,979
2002 – – 5 #11,263
2001 – – – –
2000 5 #15,860 8 #7,692
1995 7 #10,897 – –
1990 11 #7,483 8 #6,027
1985 21 #3,894 11 #3,888
1980 31 #2,890 19 #2,571
1975 56 #1,692 31 #1,642
1970 128 #981 53 #1,136
1965 234 #640 81 #821
1960 587 #393 129 #691
1955 1,030 #260 199 #517
1950 662 #301 333 #372
1945 447 #321 287 #352
1940 389 #323 307 #323
1935 122 #587 244 #351
1930 29 #1,444 199 #419
1925 29 #1,547 190 #435
1920 35 #1,325 176 #457
1915 23 #1,541 104 #552
1910 7 #2,009 12 #948
1905 7 #1,591 11 #761
1900 10 #1,262 10 #865
1895 – – 6 #1,017
1890 – – 5 #1,057
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Gale

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

  1. 1 Gale Anne Hurd Gale Anne Hurd American film producer and screenwriter b. 1955 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Gale Storm Gale Storm American actress and singer (1922–2009) Contemporary
  3. 3 Gale Harold Gale Harold American actor (born 1969) Contemporary
  4. 4 Gale Sondergaard Gale Sondergaard American actress (1899–1985) 19th century
  5. 5 Gale Norton Gale Norton U.S. politician and former Secretary of the Interior (born 1954) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Gale?

The median living Gale is about 70 years old. Half of all living Gales are between 66 and 76 years old.

How many people named Gale are alive today?

An estimated 20 thousand people named Gale are alive in the United States, based on 32,343 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Gale mean?

Gale is a given name. It has seen masculine and feminine use consecutively in the United States.

How popular is the name Gale in 2025?

Gale did not appear in the 2025 Social Security data, which means fewer than five babies received the name that year.

How many people are named Gale?

32,343 babies have been named Gale in the United States since 1883, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Gale most popular?

Gale peaked in 1957, when 1,364 newborns received the name.

Is Gale a boy or girl name?

Gale is used for both: about 62% of babies named Gale have been girls and 38% boys.

Is the name Gale rising or falling?

Gale has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Who are famous people named Gale?

Well-known people named Gale include Gale Anne Hurd (producer), Gale Storm (actor), Gale Harold (actor).

Names like Gale

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

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