Ariel
Ariel was the 356th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 851 babies. Its best year was 1991, when it ranked 66th with 5,411 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 219 places. More babies were named Ariel in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning lion of God · Hebrew
Say it AIR-ee-ul /ˈɛriəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #356 girls, down 156 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 851girls
- Girls and boys
- 67% girls, 33% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19915,411 babies
- Total since 1880
- 100,665babies recorded
What does the name Ariel mean?
Ariel is Hebrew, usually read as ari, "lion", plus el, "God". In the Bible it is a man's name (Ezra 8:16) and a poetic name for Jerusalem (Isaiah 29:1). Shakespeare used it for the spirit in The Tempest, and Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989) made it popular for girls in the US. In Israel it remains mainly a boy's name.
אֲרִיאֵל (Biblical Hebrew, “lion of God”)אֲרִי (Biblical Hebrew, “lion”)
How sure is this? Probable. 'Lion of God' is the standard reading; in Isaiah the word may also mean an altar hearth.
Related names: Arielle, Ari, Ariela.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ariel', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, Ezra 8.16, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, Isaiah 29.1, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
Nicknames for Ariel
The usual nicknames for Ariel are Ari. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Ariel in the last five years, 55 were named Ari, against 4 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ari · also for Ariana, Ariella | Modern | #614 | 3,092 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Ariels go by each one.
Ariel popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #356 | #558 | 851 | 533 |
| 2020 | #200 | #565 | 1,472 | 497 |
| 2010 | #213 | #602 | 1,462 | 413 |
| 2000 | #184 | #548 | 1,753 | 384 |
| 1990 | #94 | #482 | 3,607 | 408 |
| 1980 | #853 | #554 | 181 | 239 |
| 1970 | #2,124 | #885 | 38 | 83 |
| 1960 | #3,703 | #1,621 | 12 | 25 |
| 1950 | #3,677 | #3,037 | 9 | 7 |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | #3,364 | #3,038 | 8 | 8 |
| 1920 | #1,822 | #2,772 | 22 | 10 |
| 1910 | #2,159 | — | 6 | — |
| 1900 | #1,950 | — | 5 | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Ariel, counting every spelling?
Ariel is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #229 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #356 for Ariel on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,500 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ariel | 851 | #356 | 5,648 |
| Arielle | 618 | #486 | 3,632 |
| Aerial | 7 | #11,963 | 58 |
| Ariell | 11 | #8,931 | 52 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Ariel?
851 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ariel (0.24 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Ariel born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ariel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ariel?
About 77,100 people born in the US named Ariel are alive today, with a median age of 24; half are between 12 and 34. That makes Ariel mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Ariel by state
How common Ariel was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (2.8×), Nevada (2.1×), California (1.9×), Arizona (1.7×), Mississippi (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, Idaho, Utah.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ariel: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ariel, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ariel · Sibling names for Ariel
Questions about the name Ariel
What does Ariel mean?
Ariel means “lion of God” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Ariel?
Ariel was the 356th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 851 babies. Its best year was 1991, when it ranked 66th with 5,411 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 219 places. More babies were named Ariel in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Ariel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 67% girls, 33% boys given the name Ariel in the US.
Where is Ariel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ariel was most common in Alaska (1.98 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Mexico and Nevada.