Girl & boy name
Yael
Yael holds the #817 spot on the 2025 list of the most popular boy names in the U.S. That amounts to 304 newborn boys in a single year. The name is on the way up, moving from #1011 in 2020 to #817 today. Its strongest year on record was 2023 (#775 nationally, 329 newborns), in a data series reaching back to 1984. The name's biggest fan base is in Massachusetts (#378 there in 2025).
Rankings
Yael popularity, 1880–2025
Where Yael 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 Yael in the most recent year of SSA data.
Similar names
Yael as a girl name
As of 2025, Yael ranks #1631 among American girls' names, according to Social Security records. 127 girls received the name that year. Its position has barely moved over the past five years — a sign of steady, established appeal. SSA records for Yael go back to 1954; the peak came in 2022 at #1381, with 166 babies named that year. Geographically, it's strongest in New York, where it ranks #473 among girl names.