Hazel
Hazel was the 21st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 6,318 babies. Its best year was 1897, when it ranked 18th; the most babies were born in 1918 (7,615). Over the last ten years it has moved up 42 places. More babies were named Hazel in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning the hazel tree · English
Say it HAY-zul /ˈheɪzəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #21 girls, up 10 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 6,318girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19187,615 babies
- Total since 1880
- 305,469babies recorded
What does the name Hazel mean?
Hazel is the English word for the hazel tree and its nut, and also a color. Wiktionary notes it was popular in the US around the turn of the 20th century. It is also an English surname for someone who lived near hazel trees.
hazel (English, “hazel tree; light brown color”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: English names, names that mean tree.
Hazel popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 2,889 since 1886, 24 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #21 | 6,318 |
| 2020 | #31 | 5,519 |
| 2010 | #264 | 1,241 |
| 2000 | #893 | 246 |
| 1990 | #1,180 | 145 |
| 1980 | #1,070 | 132 |
| 1970 | #676 | 235 |
| 1960 | #397 | 577 |
| 1950 | #219 | 1,182 |
| 1940 | #123 | 2,068 |
| 1930 | #71 | 3,888 |
| 1920 | #34 | 7,308 |
| 1910 | #24 | 3,032 |
| 1900 | #29 | 2,425 |
| 1890 | #37 | 1,366 |
| 1880 | #356 | 21 |
How popular is Hazel, counting every spelling?
Hazel is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #31 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #21 for Hazel on its own. Together these spellings went to 6,338 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazel | 6,318 | #21 | 31,119 |
| Hazelle | 20 | #5,990 | 97 |
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 Hazel?
6,318 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Hazel (1.75 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Hazel 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 31. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Hazel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Hazel?
About 106,200 people born in the US named Hazel are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 5 and 53. That makes Hazel a young name: most people with it are children. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Hazel by state
How common Hazel was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wyoming (4.6×), Vermont (3.9×), Alaska (3.5×), Montana (3.1×), Idaho (3.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, New York, Florida.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Hazel: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Hazel, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Hazel
What does Hazel mean?
Hazel means “the hazel tree” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Hazel?
Hazel was the 21st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 6,318 babies. Its best year was 1897, when it ranked 18th; the most babies were born in 1918 (7,615). Over the last ten years it has moved up 42 places. More babies were named Hazel in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Hazel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Hazel in the US.
Where is Hazel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Hazel was most common in Wyoming (17.59 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and Alaska.