Yael
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- ya-EL
- Origin
- Hebrew
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,868 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #817 for boys
Yael is a girls' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “ibex, mountain goat”. In 2025 it ranked 1,868th for girls in the UK (16 babies) and 817th for boys in the US (304 babies).
What does Yael mean?
Hebrew
“ibex, mountain goat”
The Hebrew form of Jael, who killed the Canaanite general Sisera in the Book of Judges.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Yael a girl's or a boy's name?
Yael is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 16 girls in the UK and 127 girls and 304 boys in the US.
How popular is Yael in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,868th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 16 about 1 in 17,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steady much the same
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 16 girls in the UK were named Yael, making it the 1,868th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,407th. Its busiest year was 2015, with 17 girls.
Half of all the girls named Yael in the UK since 1996 were born between 2006 and 2019. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2005, 73% of the babies named Yael in the UK were girls.
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,809th in England and Wales.
Yael in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | #1,868 |
| 2024 | 11 | #2,480 |
| 2023 | 11 | #2,481 |
| 2022 | 16 | #1,873 |
| 2021 | 15 | #1,981 |
| 2020 | 11 | #2,407 |
| 2019 | 16 | #1,871 |
| 2018 | 11 | #2,464 |
| 2017 | 14 | #2,099 |
| 2016 | 13 | #2,224 |
| 2015 | 17 | #1,813 |
| 2014 | 13 | #2,189 |
| 2013 | 12 | #2,309 |
| 2012 | 7 | #3,471 |
| 2011 | 12 | #2,265 |
| 2010 | 4 | #4,931 |
| 2009 | 10 | #2,478 |
| 2008 | 11 | #2,286 |
| 2007 | 12 | #2,083 |
| 2006 | 14 | #1,764 |
| 2005 | 8 | #2,555 |
| 2004 | 13 | #1,722 |
| 2003 | 8 | #2,320 |
| 2002 | 10 | #1,874 |
| 2001 | 7 | #2,341 |
| 2000 | 9 | #1,942 |
| 1999 | 8 | #2,089 |
| 1998 | 4 | #3,310 |
| 1997 | 5 | #2,896 |
| 1996 | 5 | #2,815 |
How popular is Yael in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 817th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 304 about 1 in 5,600 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 46% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 304 boys in the US were named Yael, making it the 817th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,011th. Its busiest year was 2023, with 329 boys. It first appears in the records in 1984. 127 girls were also named Yael in 2025 (1,631st for girls).
Half of all the boys named Yael in the US since 1880 were born between 2009 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 1984, 92% of the babies named Yael in the US were girls. By 2025 it was 29%, with more boys than girls since 2003.
Yael in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 304 | #817 |
| 2024 | 320 | #785 |
| 2023 | 329 | #775 |
| 2022 | 225 | #993 |
| 2021 | 211 | #1,032 |
| 2020 | 206 | #1,011 |
| 2019 | 222 | #961 |
| 2018 | 225 | #933 |
| 2017 | 197 | #1,023 |
| 2016 | 182 | #1,080 |
| 2015 | 178 | #1,092 |
| 2014 | 235 | #913 |
| 2013 | 243 | #871 |
| 2012 | 238 | #880 |
| 2011 | 179 | #1,054 |
| 2010 | 219 | #920 |
| 2009 | 223 | #926 |
| 2008 | 226 | #912 |
| 2007 | 212 | #934 |
| 2006 | 180 | #1,021 |
| 2005 | 159 | #1,045 |
| 2004 | 139 | #1,131 |
| 2003 | 111 | #1,276 |
| 2002 | 64 | #1,789 |
| 2001 | 32 | #2,859 |
| 2000 | 28 | #3,069 |
| 1999 | 28 | #2,935 |
| 1998 | 25 | #3,089 |
| 1997 | 15 | #4,241 |
| 1996 | 13 | #4,606 |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 11 | #5,103 |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 7 | #6,408 |
| 1989 | 7 | #6,222 |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 9 | #4,567 |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 5 | #6,311 |
Names like Yael
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Zainab, Safa, Raya, Summer, Amal, Maya, Mia, Ayla, Ayah, Aaliyah, Maryam, Khadija
Names related to Yael
More Hebrew names
Noah, Isabella, Elijah, James, Jack, Ava, Jude, Ezra, Benjamin, Isaac, Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Samuel, Elias, Mateo
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, “Yael: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/yael, updated 20 October 2026.