Mael
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ma-EL
- Origin
- Celtic
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,423 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,097 for boys
Mael is a boys' name of Celtic origin, meaning “prince, chief”. In 2025 it ranked 1,423rd for boys in the UK (20 babies) and 1,097th for boys in the US (195 babies).
What does Mael mean?
Celtic: Breton name, written Maël in France
“prince, chief”
A Breton name, borne by an early medieval Breton saint and now widely used in France.
Is Mael a girl's or a boy's name?
Mael is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 20 boys in the UK and 195 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Mael in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,423rd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 20 about 1 in 15,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fast up 133% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 20 boys in the UK were named Mael, making it the 1,423rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,562nd.
2025 had the most boys named Mael of any year since it first appeared, in 2004.
Half of all the boys named Mael in the UK since 1996 were born between 2013 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,358th in England and Wales.
Mael in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 | #1,423 |
| 2024 | 17 | #1,585 |
| 2023 | 19 | #1,454 |
| 2022 | 12 | #1,999 |
| 2021 | 12 | #1,969 |
| 2020 | 8 | #2,562 |
| 2019 | 10 | #2,231 |
| 2018 | 6 | #3,162 |
| 2017 | 12 | #2,037 |
| 2016 | 5 | #3,655 |
| 2015 | 5 | #3,527 |
| 2014 | 4 | #4,063 |
| 2013 | 6 | #3,096 |
| 2012 | 6 | #3,167 |
| 2011 | 5 | #3,446 |
| 2010 | 8 | #2,534 |
| 2009 | 5 | #3,395 |
| 2008 | 6 | #2,906 |
| 2007 | 5 | #3,231 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 5 | #2,691 |
How popular is Mael in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,097th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 195 about 1 in 8,800 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fast up 268% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 195 boys in the US were named Mael, making it the 1,097th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,996th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 226 boys. It first appears in the records in 2002.
Half of all the boys named Mael in the US since 1880 were born between 2019 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
Mael in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 195 | #1,097 |
| 2024 | 208 | #1,055 |
| 2023 | 226 | #971 |
| 2022 | 164 | #1,209 |
| 2021 | 117 | #1,514 |
| 2020 | 71 | #1,996 |
| 2019 | 55 | #2,420 |
| 2018 | 45 | #2,707 |
| 2017 | 49 | #2,565 |
| 2016 | 35 | #3,229 |
| 2015 | 33 | #3,364 |
| 2014 | 20 | #4,698 |
| 2013 | 25 | #3,962 |
| 2012 | 25 | #4,000 |
| 2011 | 7 | #9,593 |
| 2010 | 14 | #6,032 |
| 2009 | 9 | #8,305 |
| 2008 | 14 | #6,065 |
| 2007 | 9 | #8,169 |
| 2006 | 7 | #9,579 |
| 2005 | 5 | #11,464 |
| 2004 | 9 | #7,530 |
| 2003 | 6 | #9,574 |
| 2002 | 5 | #10,660 |
Names like Mael
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Albie, Marley, Theo, Enzo, Milo, Musa, Hudson, Oakley, Atlas, Axel, Archer, Alfie
Names related to Mael
More Celtic names
Arthur, Imogen, Gael, Harvey, Alana, Alan, Tristan, Vienna, Lana, Alaina, Sabrina, Alanna, Bryce, Devon, Arturo, Alannah
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, “Mael: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/mael, updated 20 October 2026.