Gale
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- GAYL
- Origin
- English
- US rank, 2025
- #6,442 for boys
Gale is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “jovial”. In 2025 it ranked 6,442nd for boys in the US (13 babies).
What does Gale mean?
English: English surname, from Middle English gaile
“jovial”
Also an English word for a strong wind; Gale Sayers was a celebrated American football running back.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Gale a girl's or a boy's name?
Gale is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 13 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Gale in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 6,442nd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 13 about 1 in 130,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to call too few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 13 boys in the US were named Gale, making it the 6,442nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 9,548th. Its busiest year was 1947, with 377 boys. It first appears in the records in 1883.
Half of all the boys named Gale in the US since 1880 were born between 1930 and 1952, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 1909, 27% of the babies named Gale in the US were girls. By 1985 it was 66%, with more girls than boys since 1982.
Gale in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 | #6,442 |
| 2024 | 13 | #6,464 |
| 2023 | 15 | #5,922 |
| 2022 | 6 | #10,855 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 7 | #9,548 |
| 2019 | 7 | #9,750 |
| 2018 | 14 | #6,032 |
| 2017 | 10 | #7,542 |
| 2016 | 8 | #8,811 |
| 2015 | 8 | #8,739 |
| 2014 | 9 | #8,124 |
| 2013 | 8 | #8,784 |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 5 | #12,546 |
| 2007 | 7 | #9,782 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 5 | #11,464 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 7 | #8,636 |
| 2002 | 5 | #10,660 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 8 | #7,409 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 6 | #8,104 |
| 1996 | 6 | #7,964 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 10 | #5,446 |
| 1993 | 13 | #4,440 |
| 1992 | 8 | #6,120 |
| 1991 | 10 | #5,088 |
| 1990 | 8 | #5,816 |
| 1989 | 13 | #4,011 |
| 1988 | 9 | #4,781 |
| 1987 | 9 | #4,567 |
| 1986 | 7 | #5,327 |
| 1985 | 11 | #3,802 |
| 1984 | 15 | #2,955 |
| 1983 | 11 | #3,629 |
| 1982 | 13 | #3,281 |
| 1981 | 27 | #1,995 |
| 1980 | 19 | #2,535 |
| 1979 | 19 | #2,464 |
| 1978 | 18 | #2,472 |
| 1977 | 20 | #2,270 |
| 1976 | 23 | #2,053 |
| 1975 | 31 | #1,629 |
| 1974 | 48 | #1,198 |
| 1973 | 48 | #1,186 |
| 1972 | 38 | #1,364 |
| 1971 | 63 | #1,026 |
| 1970 | 53 | #1,132 |
| 1969 | 68 | #920 |
| 1968 | 54 | #1,006 |
| 1967 | 65 | #893 |
| 1966 | 65 | #895 |
| 1965 | 81 | #820 |
| 1964 | 89 | #799 |
| 1963 | 91 | #795 |
| 1962 | 94 | #785 |
| 1961 | 101 | #768 |
| 1960 | 129 | #690 |
| 1959 | 110 | #729 |
| 1958 | 136 | #659 |
| 1957 | 154 | #618 |
| 1956 | 193 | #542 |
| 1955 | 199 | #516 |
| 1954 | 254 | #452 |
| 1953 | 263 | #437 |
| 1952 | 324 | #380 |
| 1951 | 329 | #374 |
| 1950 | 333 | #371 |
| 1949 | 314 | #380 |
| 1948 | 349 | #361 |
| 1947 | 377 | #352 |
| 1946 | 305 | #370 |
| 1945 | 287 | #351 |
| 1944 | 283 | #354 |
| 1943 | 302 | #351 |
| 1942 | 298 | #351 |
| 1941 | 287 | #341 |
| 1940 | 307 | #323 |
| 1939 | 291 | #321 |
| 1938 | 292 | #324 |
| 1937 | 284 | #322 |
| 1936 | 250 | #344 |
| 1935 | 244 | #351 |
| 1934 | 262 | #336 |
| 1933 | 213 | #372 |
| 1932 | 224 | #372 |
| 1931 | 169 | #435 |
| 1930 | 199 | #418 |
| 1929 | 168 | #456 |
| 1928 | 181 | #445 |
| 1927 | 241 | #380 |
| 1926 | 192 | #436 |
| 1925 | 190 | #433 |
| 1924 | 243 | #384 |
| 1923 | 232 | #390 |
| 1922 | 180 | #461 |
| 1921 | 205 | #422 |
| 1920 | 176 | #457 |
| 1919 | 145 | #494 |
| 1918 | 155 | #474 |
| 1917 | 123 | #521 |
| 1916 | 114 | #537 |
| 1915 | 104 | #550 |
| 1914 | 89 | #520 |
| 1913 | 59 | #564 |
| 1912 | 42 | #649 |
| 1911 | 22 | #667 |
| 1910 | 12 | #927 |
| 1909 | 22 | #558 |
| 1908 | 19 | #585 |
| 1907 | 15 | #664 |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 11 | #741 |
| 1904 | 6 | #1,063 |
| 1903 | 12 | #656 |
| 1902 | 9 | #793 |
| 1901 | 11 | #637 |
| 1900 | 10 | #835 |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 6 | #1,001 |
| 1897 | 13 | #584 |
| 1896 | 0 | – |
| 1895 | 6 | #977 |
| 1894 | 12 | #594 |
| 1893 | 11 | #615 |
| 1892 | 0 | – |
| 1891 | 0 | – |
| 1890 | 5 | #994 |
| 1889 | 0 | – |
| 1888 | 5 | #1,030 |
| 1887 | 6 | #819 |
| 1886 | 0 | – |
| 1885 | 0 | – |
| 1884 | 0 | – |
| 1883 | 5 | #891 |
Names like Gale
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
George, Wayne, Lee, Lyle, Dale, Lawrence, James, Clyde, John, Mike, Bruce, Warren
Names related to Gale
More English names
Lily, Evelyn, Hudson, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Oakley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Gale: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/gale, updated 20 October 2026.