Gail
Girl · GAYL · Hebrew
Gail is a girls' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “my father is joy”. In 2025 it ranked 8,360th for girls in the US (12 babies).
What does Gail mean?
Hebrew: short form of Abigail
“my father is joy”
Began as a short form of Abigail, a wife of King David in the Bible, before becoming a name in its own right.
- Say it
- GAYL
More on Wiktionary.
Is Gail a girl's or a boy's name?
Gail is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 12 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Gail in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1999, with 14 girls.
Half of all the girls named Gail in the UK since 1996 were born between 1997 and 2004. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1954 (#76) and 1964 (#70).
Gail in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | #7,326 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 1 | #7,682 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 1 | #7,592 |
| 2013 | 1 | #7,690 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 6 | #3,589 |
| 2007 | 5 | #3,858 |
| 2006 | 1 | #6,685 |
| 2005 | 1 | #6,340 |
| 2004 | 6 | #2,957 |
| 2003 | 1 | #5,865 |
| 2002 | 8 | #2,231 |
| 2001 | 2 | #5,287 |
| 2000 | 4 | #3,399 |
| 1999 | 14 | #1,415 |
| 1998 | 7 | #2,304 |
| 1997 | 13 | #1,466 |
| 1996 | 12 | #1,520 |
How popular is Gail in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #8,360among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 12about 1 in 130,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 4% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 12 girls in the US were named Gail, making it the 8,360th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,079th. Its busiest year was 1951, with 9,886 girls. It first appears in the records in 1881.
2025 had fewer girls named Gail than any year since 1887.
Half of all the girls named Gail in the US since 1880 were born between 1946 and 1958, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 81% of the babies named Gail in the US in 1891, and 96% in 1989.
Gail in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #8,360 |
| 2024 | 17 | #6,639 |
| 2023 | 21 | #5,747 |
| 2022 | 13 | #8,027 |
| 2021 | 20 | #5,951 |
| 2020 | 19 | #6,079 |
| 2019 | 15 | #7,338 |
| 2018 | 18 | #6,517 |
| 2017 | 13 | #8,295 |
| 2016 | 20 | #6,184 |
| 2015 | 15 | #7,610 |
| 2014 | 13 | #8,480 |
| 2013 | 24 | #5,484 |
| 2012 | 22 | #5,892 |
| 2011 | 14 | #8,192 |
| 2010 | 15 | #7,877 |
| 2009 | 19 | #6,808 |
| 2008 | 19 | #6,796 |
| 2007 | 23 | #5,891 |
| 2006 | 21 | #6,123 |
| 2005 | 24 | #5,261 |
| 2004 | 46 | #3,261 |
| 2003 | 37 | #3,727 |
| 2002 | 30 | #4,175 |
| 2001 | 28 | #4,317 |
| 2000 | 37 | #3,522 |
| 1999 | 41 | #3,145 |
| 1998 | 57 | #2,426 |
| 1997 | 58 | #2,306 |
| 1996 | 63 | #2,148 |
| 1995 | 54 | #2,389 |
| 1994 | 65 | #2,097 |
| 1993 | 77 | #1,850 |
| 1992 | 93 | #1,627 |
| 1991 | 117 | #1,371 |
| 1990 | 127 | #1,275 |
| 1989 | 131 | #1,222 |
| 1988 | 136 | #1,128 |
| 1987 | 144 | #1,064 |
| 1986 | 154 | #1,001 |
| 1985 | 194 | #838 |
| 1984 | 238 | #698 |
| 1983 | 275 | #627 |
| 1982 | 306 | #593 |
| 1981 | 290 | #624 |
| 1980 | 303 | #605 |
| 1979 | 350 | #536 |
| 1978 | 392 | #495 |
| 1977 | 392 | #484 |
| 1976 | 475 | #425 |
| 1975 | 560 | #370 |
| 1974 | 628 | #346 |
| 1973 | 746 | #312 |
| 1972 | 987 | #267 |
| 1971 | 1,184 | #249 |
| 1970 | 1,424 | #222 |
| 1969 | 1,562 | #202 |
| 1968 | 1,802 | #180 |
| 1967 | 2,022 | #163 |
| 1966 | 2,301 | #151 |
| 1965 | 2,859 | #134 |
| 1964 | 3,446 | #125 |
| 1963 | 4,104 | #105 |
| 1962 | 4,380 | #103 |
| 1961 | 4,973 | #94 |
| 1960 | 5,428 | #90 |
| 1959 | 6,344 | #75 |
| 1958 | 6,608 | #72 |
| 1957 | 7,952 | #54 |
| 1956 | 8,435 | #49 |
| 1955 | 8,972 | #42 |
| 1954 | 9,726 | #37 |
| 1953 | 9,585 | #39 |
| 1952 | 9,760 | #39 |
| 1951 | 9,886 | #36 |
| 1950 | 8,350 | #42 |
| 1949 | 7,225 | #51 |
| 1948 | 6,603 | #51 |
| 1947 | 7,242 | #49 |
| 1946 | 6,227 | #49 |
| 1945 | 4,832 | #52 |
| 1944 | 4,526 | #56 |
| 1943 | 4,810 | #55 |
| 1942 | 4,445 | #60 |
| 1941 | 3,609 | #68 |
| 1940 | 3,621 | #65 |
| 1939 | 3,355 | #73 |
| 1938 | 3,214 | #77 |
| 1937 | 2,635 | #99 |
| 1936 | 2,342 | #101 |
| 1935 | 1,800 | #127 |
| 1934 | 1,176 | #164 |
| 1933 | 541 | #264 |
| 1932 | 354 | #337 |
| 1931 | 239 | #415 |
| 1930 | 198 | #476 |
| 1929 | 172 | #516 |
| 1928 | 173 | #528 |
| 1927 | 186 | #515 |
| 1926 | 206 | #483 |
| 1925 | 163 | #563 |
| 1924 | 165 | #568 |
| 1923 | 154 | #581 |
| 1922 | 142 | #609 |
| 1921 | 204 | #483 |
| 1920 | 181 | #523 |
| 1919 | 184 | #494 |
| 1918 | 206 | #465 |
| 1917 | 217 | #434 |
| 1916 | 196 | #456 |
| 1915 | 135 | #551 |
| 1914 | 102 | #553 |
| 1913 | 58 | #678 |
| 1912 | 53 | #689 |
| 1911 | 32 | #766 |
| 1910 | 33 | #737 |
| 1909 | 32 | #706 |
| 1908 | 30 | #709 |
| 1907 | 35 | #631 |
| 1906 | 34 | #611 |
| 1905 | 14 | #1,011 |
| 1904 | 36 | #559 |
| 1903 | 31 | #589 |
| 1902 | 26 | #648 |
| 1901 | 25 | #630 |
| 1900 | 28 | #676 |
| 1899 | 32 | #526 |
| 1898 | 32 | #571 |
| 1897 | 32 | #521 |
| 1896 | 36 | #487 |
| 1895 | 32 | #520 |
| 1894 | 22 | #628 |
| 1893 | 31 | #487 |
| 1892 | 21 | #616 |
| 1891 | 29 | #475 |
| 1890 | 20 | #578 |
| 1889 | 19 | #589 |
| 1888 | 15 | #663 |
| 1887 | 9 | #788 |
| 1886 | 12 | #657 |
| 1885 | 17 | #520 |
| 1884 | 8 | #793 |
| 1883 | 8 | #692 |
| 1882 | 8 | #678 |
| 1881 | 5 | #830 |
Names like Gail
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
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