Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Lael

Gender Unisex · 67% girls Rank 2025 #1,952 Trend ↑ Rising 64%
Rank 2025
#1,952
among girls · ↑730 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
255
named Lael · +36% vs 2024
How common
1 in 16,235
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2025
255 babies
All-time total
3,526
#4,208 all-time among girls
First recorded
1895
in Social Security records

Lael popularity over time

3,526 babies have been named Lael since 1895, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1890s 5 – 5 1 – #1,716
1900s – – – – – –
1910s 25 – 25 3 – #3,417
1920s 50 10 60 6 +140% #3,606
1930s 134 6 140 14 +133% #1,688
1940s 125 15 140 14 0% #2,080
1950s 174 11 185 19 +32% #2,051
1960s 124 23 147 15 -21% #3,280
1970s 144 155 299 30 +103% #3,105
1980s 156 66 222 22 -26% #3,590
1990s 150 61 211 21 -5% #5,131
2000s 337 127 464 46 +120% #3,678
2010s 560 273 833 83 +80% #2,394
2020s (to 2025) 376 419 795 133 +59% #1,952

Where Lael is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 108 0.07 outside top 500
2027 116 0.07 outside top 500
2028 124 0.08 outside top 500
2029 131 0.08 outside top 500
2030 137 0.08 outside top 500

Where Lael is most popular

Girls named Lael per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.040 per 1,000. Strongest in Maryland, New Jersey, and Florida.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Lael 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Maryland 11 0.104 +159%
New Jersey 10 0.055 +38%
Florida 21 0.049 +23%
New York 16 0.040 ≈ national
Georgia 8 0.035 -12%
Texas 27 0.034 -16%
Virginia 5 0.029 -27%
North Carolina 5 0.022 -45%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -47%
California 16 0.019 -52%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Lael

Lael is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #1,952 in 2025 with 99 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1895, 3,526 American babies have been named Lael, about 67% girls and 33% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 255 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 Lael stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Lael?

The median living Lael is about 15 years old; half are between 6 and 41. An estimated 3,200 people named Lael are alive in the United States today.

median 15 020406080100

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

Lael 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 99 #1,952 156 #1,264
2024 65 #2,682 123 #1,479
2023 54 #3,065 41 #3,038
2022 54 #3,058 31 #3,663
2021 53 #3,093 28 #3,883
2020 51 #3,122 40 #2,959
2019 40 #3,756 52 #2,539
2018 46 #3,423 30 #3,666
2017 59 #2,858 22 #4,541
2016 59 #2,886 33 #3,403
2015 77 #2,394 33 #3,404
2014 59 #2,907 23 #4,333
2013 45 #3,501 21 #4,552
2012 69 #2,612 22 #4,476
2011 57 #3,002 23 #4,299
2010 49 #3,344 14 #6,236
2009 40 #3,919 15 #5,978
2008 44 #3,678 19 #4,989
2007 34 #4,424 16 #5,577
2006 42 #3,707 8 #9,230
2005 40 #3,688 11 #6,906
2004 30 #4,554 19 #4,522
2003 30 #4,366 12 #6,097
2002 25 #4,836 7 #9,002
2001 25 #4,772 15 #5,039
2000 27 #4,482 5 #11,431
1995 14 #6,452 – –
1990 9 #8,883 – –
1985 21 #3,924 10 #4,219
1980 20 #3,921 11 #3,746
1975 23 #3,105 13 #3,008
1970 7 #6,692 15 #2,455
1965 10 #4,348 6 #3,740
1960 15 #3,280 – –
1955 17 #2,780 – –
1950 10 #3,560 6 #3,517
1945 15 #2,289 – –
1940 12 #2,496 – –
1935 10 #2,838 – –
1930 10 #2,955 – –
1925 5 #5,403 – –
1920 6 #4,671 – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 5 #1,716 – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Lael?

The median living Lael is about 15 years old. Half of all living Laels are between 6 and 41 years old.

How many people named Lael are alive today?

An estimated 3,200 people named Lael are alive in the United States, based on 3,526 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Lael in 2025?

Lael ranked #1,952 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 99 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Lael?

3,526 babies have been named Lael in the United States since 1895, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Lael most popular?

Lael peaked in 2025, when 255 newborns received the name.

Is Lael a boy or girl name?

Lael is used for both: about 67% of babies named Lael have been girls and 33% boys.

Is the name Lael rising or falling?

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

Will Lael become more popular?

Lael is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 137 girls named Lael in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Lael

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

Compare Lael with similar names → More names starting with L →