Joelle
Joelle was the 1010th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 248 babies. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked 469th; the most babies were born in 2017 (436). Over the last ten years it has moved up 70 places. More babies were named Joelle in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning feminine of Joel; 'YHWH is God' · French, Hebrew
Say it joh-EL /dʒoʊˈɛl/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,010 girls, down 248 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 248girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2017436 babies
- Total since 1880
- 16,640babies recorded
What does the name Joelle mean?
Joelle is the English spelling of French Joëlle, the feminine form of Joël (Joel). Joel is the Hebrew Yoʼel, made of Yo-, a short form of the divine name YHWH, and El 'God', so it means 'YHWH is God'. Joel is the name of one of the minor prophets of the Hebrew Bible (Joel 1:1).
יוֹאֵל (Yoʼel) (Biblical Hebrew, “YHWH is God”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Joëlle, Joel, Joella, Joely.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Joelle', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Joel', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Hebrew Bible, Joel 1:1 (Sefaria, with JPS translation), Sefaria
Nicknames for Joelle
The usual nicknames for Joelle are Jo. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Joelle in the last five years, 12 were named Jo, against 10 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jo · also for Josephine, Josie, Joanna | Modern | #4,028 | 195 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Joelles go by each one.
Joelle popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 525 since 1985, 5 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,010 | 248 |
| 2020 | #762 | 359 |
| 2010 | #1,110 | 222 |
| 2000 | #903 | 243 |
| 1990 | #790 | 255 |
| 1980 | #870 | 177 |
| 1970 | #585 | 299 |
| 1960 | #2,122 | 30 |
| 1950 | #2,080 | 22 |
| 1940 | #3,083 | 9 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Joelle, counting every spelling?
Joelle has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #968 for girls in 2025, against #1,010 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Joelle?
248 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Joelle (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Joelle 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 34 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Joelle.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Joelle?
About 15,500 people born in the US named Joelle are alive today, with a median age of 28; half are between 12 and 45. That makes Joelle 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.
Joelle by state
How common Joelle was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Michigan (2.3×), Iowa (1.8×), Virginia (1.8×), New Jersey (1.7×), Indiana (1.7×). In 21 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Joelle: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Joelle, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Joelle · Sibling names for Joelle
Questions about the name Joelle
What does Joelle mean?
Joelle means “feminine of Joel; 'YHWH is God'” (French, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Joelle?
Joelle was the 1010th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 248 babies. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked 469th; the most babies were born in 2017 (436). Over the last ten years it has moved up 70 places. More babies were named Joelle in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Joelle a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Joelle in the US.
Where is Joelle most popular?
In 2021–2025, Joelle was most common in Michigan (0.45 per 1,000 girls), followed by Nebraska and Iowa.