Axel
Axel was the 79th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,140 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 71st; the most babies were born in 2020 (4,667). Over the last ten years it has moved up 44 places. More babies were named Axel in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Danish, Swedish, Hebrew
Say it AK-suhl /ˈæksəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #79 boys, down 7 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 4,140boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20204,667 babies
- Total since 1880
- 72,668babies recorded
What does the name Axel mean?
Axel is a Scandinavian name, Aksel in Danish and Norwegian. Its usual explanation runs through the 12th-century Danish archbishop Absalon, who was also known as Axel; Absalon is the biblical Absalom, 'father of peace' according to DMNES. Wiktionary and Wikipedia both add a second view: the bishop's name may have blended with the older Norse name Áskell, from words for 'god' and 'cauldron' or 'helmet'. Axel has been used in Sweden, Denmark and Germany for centuries and spread to English speakers much later.
Absalon (Danish, “form of Absalom”)אַבְשָׁלוֹם (Biblical Hebrew, “Avshalom, father of peace”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Two explanations: from Absalon (Absalom), or from the Norse name Áskell, possibly blended. Sources do not settle it.
Related names: Aksel, Axl, Akseli, Absalom.
See also: Scandinavian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Axel', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Axel (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Absalom', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
Axel popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 209 since 2001, 8 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #79 | 4,140 |
| 2020 | #72 | 4,667 |
| 2010 | #187 | 1,973 |
| 2000 | #361 | 731 |
| 1990 | #899 | 131 |
| 1980 | #2,064 | 26 |
| 1970 | #1,439 | 34 |
| 1960 | #2,323 | 13 |
| 1950 | #2,031 | 14 |
| 1940 | #3,483 | 5 |
| 1930 | #1,970 | 15 |
| 1920 | #1,422 | 27 |
| 1910 | #935 | 12 |
| 1900 | #788 | 11 |
| 1890 | #462 | 16 |
| 1880 | #442 | 16 |
How popular is Axel, counting every spelling?
Axel is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #79 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together. Together these spellings went to 4,505 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axel | 4,140 | #79 | 21,808 |
| Aksel | 155 | #1,267 | 709 |
| Axle | 95 | #1,709 | 596 |
| Axell | 75 | #2,007 | 476 |
| Axcel | 11 | #7,250 | 58 |
| Axxel | 9 | #8,335 | 43 |
| Acxel | 9 | #8,257 | 33 |
| Axzel | 6 | #10,835 | 25 |
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 Axel?
4,140 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Axel (1.15 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Axel born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 46. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Axel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Axel?
About 70,600 people born in the US named Axel are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 5 and 15. That makes Axel a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Axel by state
How common Axel was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (2.7×), Delaware (1.9×), North Dakota (1.7×), Nevada (1.7×), District of Columbia (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Hampshire, Ohio, Maine.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Axel: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Axel, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Axel · Sibling names for Axel
Questions about the name Axel
What does Axel mean?
The origin of Axel is uncertain: two explanations: from Absalon (Absalom), or from the Norse name Áskell, possibly blended. Sources do not settle it.
How popular is the name Axel?
Axel was the 79th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 4,140 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 71st; the most babies were born in 2020 (4,667). Over the last ten years it has moved up 44 places. More babies were named Axel in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Axel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Axel in the US.
Where is Axel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Axel was most common in Wyoming (6.74 per 1,000 boys), followed by Delaware and North Dakota.