Yael
Girl name · #1637 in 2025 · Very rare
Yael is currently the #1637 girl name in the United States — 127 babies received it in 2025. That compares with #1883 ten years earlier — a clear climb in the rankings. Roughly one in every 14,173 girls born in 2025 was named Yael.
Babies named Yael per year. Source: SSA.
The 71-year story
Yael first appears in the Social Security records in 1954, when 5 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2022, with 166 babies and a rank of #1381. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Yael against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Yael in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Yael is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Yael will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Yael is most common
Geography matters for names, and Yael is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Yael is most common in NY (0.5 per 1,000), NJ (0.4 per 1,000), FL (0.1 per 1,000), CA (0.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.1 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Yael is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Yael
Statistically, parents drawn to Yael tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Lael, Jael, Israel, Rochel, and Yuri.
LaelJaelIsraelRochelYuriRaizelAmalYana
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Yael | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 127 | #1631 |
| 2024 | 132 | #1591 |
| 2023 | 143 | #1506 |
| 2022 | 166 | #1381 |
| 2021 | 137 | #1532 |
| 2020 | 137 | #1545 |
| 2019 | 116 | #1763 |
| 2018 | 106 | #1890 |
| 2017 | 119 | #1761 |
| 2016 | 126 | #1693 |
| 2015 | 108 | #1883 |
| 2014 | 111 | #1830 |
| 2013 | 101 | #1953 |
| 2012 | 108 | #1859 |
| 2011 | 107 | #1874 |
| 2010 | 115 | #1783 |
| 2009 | 107 | #1947 |
| 2008 | 94 | #2137 |
| 2007 | 86 | #2257 |
| 2006 | 89 | #2165 |
| 2005 | 75 | #2359 |
| 2004 | 92 | #1999 |
| 2003 | 80 | #2167 |
| 2002 | 85 | #2028 |
| 2001 | 89 | #1941 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Yael a popular girl name?
Yael ranked #1637 among girls in 2025 with 127 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1883.
When was the name Yael most popular?
Yael peaked in 2022, when 166 American girls received the name (ranked #1381 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Yael?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 14,173 newborn American girls was named Yael. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.