Aeriel
Feminine name derived from "aerial" or "airy", suggesting airiness or lightness.
Name Census estimates that about 752 living Americans carry the first name Aeriel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Aeriel today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aeriel births was 1991 (72 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aeriel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
752
~ 1 in 455,790 Americans
Peak year
1991
72 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,498
Tracked since 1982
Census
Aeriel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 686 people with the first name Aeriel, which placed it at #16,449 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#16,449
National first-name rank
People counted
686
686 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
46.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aeriel
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aeriel is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Hispanic (9.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Aeriel described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Aeriel at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.8% · 321
- Black or African American30.2% · 207
- Hispanic or Latino9.2% · 63
- Two or more races6.9% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 12
Popularity
Aeriel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aeriel from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 399 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aeriel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aeriel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aeriels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Aeriel, while Alabama, Ohio, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aeriel
The given name Aeriel finds its roots in the Old French language, with its origins dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the word "aërien," which means "of the air" or "airy." This name is believed to have been inspired by the ethereal and celestial realms, evoking a sense of lightness and airiness.
In ancient Greek mythology, Aeriel was the name of a minor goddess associated with the air and wind currents. She was often depicted as a graceful and free-spirited figure, symbolizing the beauty and freedom of the skies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aeriel can be found in the writings of the French poet and philosopher, Jean de Meun, who lived from around 1240 to 1305 CE. In his famous work, "Le Roman de la Rose" (The Romance of the Rose), he introduced a character named Aeriel, personifying the concept of air.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Aeriel. One of the most prominent was Aeriel Fitz-George (1580-1648), an English courtier and military commander who served under King Charles I during the English Civil War. She was renowned for her bravery and loyalty to the crown.
Another noteworthy individual was Aeriel Hawkins (1705-1782), a British naturalist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of botany and zoology. Her detailed observations and writings on the flora and fauna of the Americas were highly influential in the scientific community of her time.
In the realm of literature, Aeriel Blackwood (1892-1951) was a renowned British author and playwright. Her works, which often explored themes of spirituality and the supernatural, were widely acclaimed and continue to be studied by scholars and literary enthusiasts alike.
Aeriel Grayson (1920-1998) was an American aviator and one of the first women to break through the glass ceiling in the field of aviation. She became a pioneer in the world of commercial aviation and served as an inspiration for many aspiring female pilots.
The name Aeriel has also been associated with various artistic and creative fields. Aeriel Delaney (1945-2019) was a celebrated American painter and sculptor, known for her abstract and avant-garde works that challenged traditional artistic conventions.
While the name Aeriel has experienced periods of popularity and decline throughout history, its enduring connection to the ethereal and celestial realms has ensured its continued appeal and use among diverse cultures and societies.
People
Aeriel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aeriel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aeriel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aeriel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 752 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aeriel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 455,790 US residents.
Is Aeriel a common name?
We classify Aeriel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 774 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aeriel most popular?
The single biggest year for Aeriel was 1991, when 72 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aeriel is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Aeriel in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 686 people with the name Aeriel, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,449 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Aeriel in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Aeriel?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Aeriel leans strongly female. 663 people counted with this name were female (97.5%), compared with 17 male bearers (2.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Aeriel?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aeriel is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Hispanic (9.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Aeriel most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Aeriel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.8% (321 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Aeriel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aeriel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aeriel in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Aeriel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aeriel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Aeriel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Aeriel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.