Yael
Yael was the 818th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 304 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 776th with 329 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 277 places. More babies were named Yael in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning ibex, mountain goat · Hebrew
Say it yah-EL /jɑˈɛl/
- Rank in 2025
- #818 boys, up 194 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 304boys
- Girls and boys
- 34% girls, 66% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2023329 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,708babies recorded
What does the name Yael mean?
Yael is the Hebrew word yaʿel 'ibex, mountain goat'. In the Book of Judges, Jael (Yael) kills the Canaanite commander Sisera in her tent (Judges 4:17-21), and she is praised in the Song of Deborah. Wiktionary notes the modern rendering from Israeli Hebrew. It is a common girls' name in Israel and is also used for boys in Spanish-speaking countries.
יָעֵל (yaʿel) (Biblical Hebrew, “ibex, mountain goat”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Jael, Yaelle.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean an animal.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Yael', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Hebrew Bible, Judges 4:17 (Sefaria, with JPS translation), Sefaria
Yael popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,642 | #818 | 127 | 304 |
| 2020 | #1,551 | #1,012 | 137 | 206 |
| 2010 | #1,793 | #924 | 115 | 219 |
| 2000 | #1,950 | #3,147 | 87 | 28 |
| 1990 | #2,288 | #7,164 | 56 | 7 |
| 1980 | #2,245 | — | 45 | — |
| 1970 | #3,109 | — | 22 | — |
| 1960 | #6,377 | — | 6 | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Yael, counting every spelling?
Yael has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #796 for boys in 2025, against #818 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Yael?
304 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Yael (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Yael 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 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Yael.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Yael?
About 5,200 people born in the US named Yael are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 5 and 17. That makes Yael 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.
Yael by state
How common Yael was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.7×), New Jersey (1.9×), California (1.8×), Texas (1.7×). In 27 states fewer than five boys 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 Yael: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Yael, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Yael · Sibling names for Yael
Questions about the name Yael
What does Yael mean?
Yael means “ibex, mountain goat” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Yael?
Yael was the 818th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 304 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 776th with 329 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 277 places. More babies were named Yael in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Yael a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 34% girls, 66% boys given the name Yael in the US.
Where is Yael most popular?
In 2021–2025, Yael was most common in Arizona (0.43 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Jersey and California.