Joel
Joel was the 219th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,633 babies. Its best year was 1981, when it ranked 65th; the most babies were born in 1985 (4,623). Over the last ten years it has moved down 60 places. More babies were named Joel in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning the Lord is God · Hebrew
Say it JOH-uhl /ˈdʒoʊəl/
- Rank in 2025
- #219 boys, down 12 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,633boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19854,623 babies
- Total since 1880
- 282,250babies recorded
What does the name Joel mean?
Joel comes from Hebrew Yo'el, made of a short form of the divine name, Yo, and El, 'God', so 'Yahweh is God' or 'the Lord is God'; Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree. Joel is the prophet of the biblical book of that name. Wiktionary notes that medieval French and English Joel could also come from the unrelated Breton name Judicaël. Yoel is the modern Hebrew form.
יוֹאֵל (Biblical Hebrew, “Yo'el, the Lord is God”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Yoel, Joelle, Elijah.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Joel', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Hebrew Bible, Joel 1:1, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria; verse reference and facts only, not quoted
- Wikipedia, 'Joel (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Joel popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,595 since 1912, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #219 | 1,633 |
| 2020 | #207 | 1,843 |
| 2010 | #132 | 3,065 |
| 2000 | #112 | 3,380 |
| 1990 | #95 | 4,000 |
| 1980 | #67 | 4,564 |
| 1970 | #82 | 3,839 |
| 1960 | #110 | 3,712 |
| 1950 | #130 | 2,043 |
| 1940 | #140 | 1,278 |
| 1930 | #263 | 455 |
| 1920 | #308 | 346 |
| 1910 | #335 | 55 |
| 1900 | #380 | 35 |
| 1890 | #287 | 37 |
| 1880 | #263 | 41 |
How popular is Joel, counting every spelling?
Joel is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #232 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #219 for Joel on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,648 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joel | 1,633 | #219 | 8,593 |
| Joell | 15 | #5,989 | 113 |
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 Joel?
1,633 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Joel (0.45 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Joel 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 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Joel.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Joel?
About 231,000 people born in the US named Joel are alive today, with a median age of 40; half are between 23 and 56. That makes Joel mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Joel by state
How common Joel was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (1.8×), Texas (1.6×), Maryland (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Montana, Alaska, New Hampshire.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Joel: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Joel, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Joel · Sibling names for Joel
Questions about the name Joel
What does Joel mean?
Joel means “the Lord is God” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Joel?
Joel was the 219th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,633 babies. Its best year was 1981, when it ranked 65th; the most babies were born in 1985 (4,623). Over the last ten years it has moved down 60 places. More babies were named Joel in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Joel a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Joel in the US.
Where is Joel most popular?
In 2021–2025, Joel was most common in New Mexico (1.79 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and Maryland.