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Joel

Gender
Boy
Say it
JOH-el
Origin
Hebrew
UK rank, 2025
#220 for boys
US rank, 2025
#219 for boys

Joel is a boys' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “the Lord is God”. In 2025 it ranked 220th for boys in the UK (253 babies) and 219th for boys in the US (1,633 babies).

What does Joel mean?

Hebrew

“the Lord is God”

Joel is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Hebrew Bible.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Joel a girl's or a boy's name?

Joel is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 253 boys in the UK and 6 girls and 1,633 boys in the US.

How popular is Joel in the UK?

Rank in 2025
220th among boys
Babies in 2025
253 about 1 in 1,200 boys
Five-year trend
Falling down 31% in five years
Same name in a class
1.2% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 253 boys in the UK were named Joel, making it the 220th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 160th. Its busiest year was 2005, with 1,070 boys.

2025 had the fewest boys named Joel since the records began in 1996.

Half of all the boys named Joel in the UK since 1996 were born between 2002 and 2013. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.

Among boys in 2025, it was 223rd in England and Wales, 278th in Scotland and 138th in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1994 (#80) and 2004 (#73).

1996Busiest: 1,070 in 20052025
Joel in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025253#220
2024268#210
2023339#169
2022278#210
2021351#169
2020379#160
2019363#169
2018507#129
2017619#116
2016585#121
2015664#110
2014647#107
2013663#107
2012701#101
2011785#97
2010904#82
2009918#82
2008869#93
2007956#84
2006990#80
20051,070#73
2004970#74
2003943#72
2002931#73
20011,010#65
2000857#72
1999898#74
1998829#82
1997857#82
1996803#81

How popular is Joel in the US?

Rank in 2025
219th among boys
Babies in 2025
1,633 about 1 in 1,000 boys
Five-year trend
Steady down 17% in five years
Same name in a class
1.3% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 1,633 boys in the US were named Joel, making it the 219th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 207th. Its busiest year was 1985, with 4,623 boys. 6 girls were also named Joel in 2025 (13,203rd for girls).

It has been given to fewer boys each year for the last 17 years. 2025 had fewer boys named Joel than any year since 1945.

Half of all the boys named Joel in the US since 1880 were born between 1962 and 2000, the years shaded on the chart below.

1880Busiest: 4,623 in 19852025
Joel in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
20251,633#219
20241,638#219
20231,745#212
20221,780#209
20211,797#211
20201,843#207
20192,095#187
20182,132#188
20172,265#177
20162,427#166
20152,602#158
20142,672#154
20132,727#144
20122,780#144
20113,056#132
20103,065#132
20093,564#116
20083,744#113
20073,423#123
20063,455#123
20053,275#123
20043,237#124
20033,245#124
20023,191#122
20013,167#126
20003,380#112
19993,185#115
19983,172#117
19972,989#126
19963,004#124
19953,100#120
19943,368#108
19933,557#101
19923,667#100
19913,762#100
19904,000#94
19893,939#88
19883,940#85
19874,138#75
19864,507#72
19854,623#67
19844,524#66
19834,345#67
19824,446#69
19814,540#65
19804,564#67
19794,216#71
19783,810#74
19773,824#73
19763,722#72
19753,729#74
19743,491#75
19733,570#73
19723,528#78
19713,499#86
19703,839#82
19693,681#80
19683,683#80
19673,476#90
19663,232#102
19652,860#114
19643,135#110
19633,237#110
19623,298#113
19613,518#110
19603,712#110
19593,458#116
19583,224#120
19573,604#104
19563,436#106
19552,806#121
19542,596#127
19532,302#134
19522,228#132
19512,162#129
19502,043#130
19491,987#138
19482,026#137
19472,144#133
19461,999#127
19451,597#134
19441,714#125
19431,745#128
19421,595#134
19411,339#142
19401,278#140
19391,295#135
19381,262#134
19371,116#139
19361,060#146
1935919#157
1934815#172
1933666#185
1932624#206
1931477#242
1930455#263
1929420#272
1928415#278
1927392#284
1926379#291
1925379#294
1924377#295
1923348#303
1922368#294
1921395#281
1920346#308
1919358#280
1918348#294
1917308#300
1916282#309
1915272#311
1914200#321
1913167#307
1912129#332
191159#357
191055#332
190950#325
190845#335
190754#286
190649#286
190548#284
190443#294
190332#340
190238#312
190134#302
190035#375
189937#286
189848#255
189731#331
189637#306
189537#295
189444#261
189352#239
189239#292
189131#297
189037#282
188937#274
188848#252
188748#227
188649#243
188556#213
188456#221
188351#212
188254#222
188157#197
188041#262

Names like Joel

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Daniel, Jamie, Michael, Matthew, Nathan, Joshua, Aaron, Adam, Toby, Jordan, Jacob, Billy

Other spellings of Joel

Joell

Names related to Joel

Jowell, Jhoel

More Hebrew names

Noah, Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Mia, Ava, Jude, Ezra, Benjamin, Isaac, Ethan, Samuel, Elias, Mateo, Elsie

Every Hebrew name

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, “Joel: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/joel, updated 20 October 2026.