Girl & boy name
Noel
Noel holds the #478 spot on the 2025 list of the most popular boy names in the U.S. That amounts to 635 newborn boys in a single year. The name has been cooling off, slipping from #416 in 2020 to #478 today. Its strongest year on record was 1938 (#266 nationally, 425 newborns), in a data series reaching back to 1880. The name's biggest fan base is in California (#293 there in 2025).
Rankings
Noel popularity, 1880–2025
Where Noel is most popular
Uniqueness score
Well known, but far from crowded — the middle of the field. Based on how many babies per birth were named Noel in the most recent year of SSA data.
Similar names
Noel as a girl name
As of 2025, Noel ranks #1388 among American girls' names, according to Social Security records. 157 girls received the name that year. The ranking has held remarkably steady over the last five years. SSA records for Noel go back to 1909; the peak came in 1987 at #587, with 336 babies named that year. Geographically, it's strongest in Kentucky, where it ranks #744 among girl names.