Gayle
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- GAYL
- Origin
- Hebrew
Gayle is a girls' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “my father is joy”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Gayle mean?
Hebrew: variant of Gail, short form of Abigail
“my father is joy”
Began as a short form of Abigail, the wise wife of King David in the Bible.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Gayle a girl's or a boy's name?
Gayle is a girls' name.
How popular is Gayle in the UK?
No girls in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1996, with 17 girls.
Gayle in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | #7,491 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 1 | #7,536 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 1 | #7,717 |
| 2010 | 1 | #7,520 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 1 | #6,685 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 1 | #6,173 |
| 2003 | 1 | #5,865 |
| 2002 | 1 | #5,540 |
| 2001 | 2 | #5,287 |
| 2000 | 3 | #4,074 |
| 1999 | 3 | #4,041 |
| 1998 | 5 | #2,855 |
| 1997 | 7 | #2,281 |
| 1996 | 17 | #1,179 |
How popular is Gayle in the US?
No girls in the US were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1951, with 2,826 girls. It first appears in the records in 1891.
Half of all the girls named Gayle in the US since 1880 were born between 1946 and 1959, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 65% of the babies named Gayle in the US in 1912, and 91% in 1989.
Gayle in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | #13,472 |
| 2023 | 8 | #11,164 |
| 2022 | 10 | #9,674 |
| 2021 | 6 | #13,459 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 5 | #15,532 |
| 2018 | 7 | #12,459 |
| 2017 | 11 | #9,337 |
| 2016 | 9 | #10,855 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 7 | #13,063 |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 5 | #16,863 |
| 2011 | 6 | #14,816 |
| 2010 | 7 | #13,442 |
| 2009 | 11 | #9,971 |
| 2008 | 15 | #8,105 |
| 2007 | 7 | #13,918 |
| 2006 | 9 | #11,412 |
| 2005 | 9 | #10,915 |
| 2004 | 8 | #11,617 |
| 2003 | 10 | #9,666 |
| 2002 | 11 | #8,831 |
| 2001 | 30 | #4,103 |
| 2000 | 20 | #5,486 |
| 1999 | 18 | #5,655 |
| 1998 | 29 | #3,911 |
| 1997 | 31 | #3,623 |
| 1996 | 45 | #2,710 |
| 1995 | 30 | #3,580 |
| 1994 | 36 | #3,163 |
| 1993 | 42 | #2,820 |
| 1992 | 43 | #2,772 |
| 1991 | 48 | #2,544 |
| 1990 | 47 | #2,518 |
| 1989 | 71 | #1,846 |
| 1988 | 70 | #1,786 |
| 1987 | 79 | #1,580 |
| 1986 | 83 | #1,494 |
| 1985 | 97 | #1,349 |
| 1984 | 104 | #1,238 |
| 1983 | 112 | #1,169 |
| 1982 | 149 | #988 |
| 1981 | 146 | #998 |
| 1980 | 145 | #1,005 |
| 1979 | 157 | #940 |
| 1978 | 174 | #849 |
| 1977 | 170 | #862 |
| 1976 | 193 | #750 |
| 1975 | 184 | #770 |
| 1974 | 263 | #600 |
| 1973 | 263 | #599 |
| 1972 | 322 | #527 |
| 1971 | 446 | #458 |
| 1970 | 535 | #419 |
| 1969 | 618 | #373 |
| 1968 | 652 | #346 |
| 1967 | 695 | #332 |
| 1966 | 776 | #318 |
| 1965 | 956 | #281 |
| 1964 | 1,105 | #271 |
| 1963 | 1,108 | #269 |
| 1962 | 1,266 | #250 |
| 1961 | 1,448 | #229 |
| 1960 | 1,493 | #220 |
| 1959 | 1,827 | #195 |
| 1958 | 1,947 | #186 |
| 1957 | 2,190 | #173 |
| 1956 | 2,287 | #163 |
| 1955 | 2,483 | #146 |
| 1954 | 2,497 | #147 |
| 1953 | 2,666 | #136 |
| 1952 | 2,636 | #135 |
| 1951 | 2,826 | #124 |
| 1950 | 2,368 | #133 |
| 1949 | 2,293 | #137 |
| 1948 | 2,066 | #141 |
| 1947 | 2,485 | #127 |
| 1946 | 1,927 | #141 |
| 1945 | 1,491 | #156 |
| 1944 | 1,233 | #173 |
| 1943 | 1,423 | #168 |
| 1942 | 1,188 | #184 |
| 1941 | 1,007 | #186 |
| 1940 | 1,085 | #177 |
| 1939 | 843 | #206 |
| 1938 | 803 | #212 |
| 1937 | 720 | #224 |
| 1936 | 717 | #227 |
| 1935 | 705 | #237 |
| 1934 | 476 | #282 |
| 1933 | 239 | #415 |
| 1932 | 225 | #440 |
| 1931 | 167 | #499 |
| 1930 | 139 | #580 |
| 1929 | 108 | #672 |
| 1928 | 119 | #645 |
| 1927 | 96 | #731 |
| 1926 | 98 | #733 |
| 1925 | 100 | #736 |
| 1924 | 107 | #718 |
| 1923 | 87 | #782 |
| 1922 | 102 | #720 |
| 1921 | 106 | #711 |
| 1920 | 102 | #718 |
| 1919 | 113 | #655 |
| 1918 | 125 | #632 |
| 1917 | 127 | #605 |
| 1916 | 107 | #659 |
| 1915 | 84 | #724 |
| 1914 | 55 | #777 |
| 1913 | 39 | #840 |
| 1912 | 35 | #846 |
| 1911 | 16 | #1,113 |
| 1910 | 15 | #1,171 |
| 1909 | 18 | #961 |
| 1908 | 6 | #1,862 |
| 1907 | 20 | #840 |
| 1906 | 12 | #1,101 |
| 1905 | 20 | #825 |
| 1904 | 9 | #1,250 |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 18 | #818 |
| 1901 | 9 | #1,136 |
| 1900 | 9 | #1,318 |
| 1899 | 12 | #935 |
| 1898 | 10 | #1,098 |
| 1897 | 11 | #982 |
| 1896 | 9 | #1,122 |
| 1895 | 6 | #1,426 |
| 1894 | 8 | #1,136 |
| 1893 | 5 | #1,437 |
| 1892 | 0 | – |
| 1891 | 9 | #943 |
Names like Gayle
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Alice, Billie, Jane, Charlotte, Bonnie, Michelle, Anne, Nancy, Josephine, Elizabeth, Betsy, Faye
Names related to Gayle
More Hebrew names
Noah, Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Mia, Ava, Jude, Ezra, Benjamin, Isaac, Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Elias
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and 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, “Gayle: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/gayle, updated 20 October 2026.