Ayal
A Hebrew masculine name meaning "stag, deer, or gazelle."
Name Census estimates that about 37 living Americans carry the first name Ayal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ayal today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ayal births was 1989 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ayal. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ayal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
37
~ 1 in 9,263,631 Americans
Peak year
1989
8 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2019 SSA rank
#8,985
Tracked since 1974
Census
Ayal in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 205 people with the first name Ayal, which placed it at #37,817 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
#37,817
National first-name rank
People counted
205
205 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
82.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ayal
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ayal is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Ayal 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 Ayal at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 170
- Black or African American10.2% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 4
- Two or more races1.0% · 2
Popularity
Ayal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ayal from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 20 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Ayal remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ayal 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 Ayal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ayal
The name Ayal has its roots in the Hebrew language and culture, tracing back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "ayyal," which means "deer" or "gazelle." This name is often associated with agility, grace, and speed, qualities that are embodied by these elegant animals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ayal can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. In the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 5, verse 19, it is written: "Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love." Here, the word "ayyal" is used to describe the graceful and beautiful roe deer.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Ayal. One of the earliest was Ayal ben Shlomo, a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in Spain during the 11th century. He was known for his contributions to the study of Jewish law and ethics.
In more recent times, Ayal Zak was an Israeli artist and sculptor who gained recognition for his large-scale public installations and outdoor sculptures. Born in 1929, his works can be found in various cities across Israel and around the world.
Ayal Tsor was an Israeli film director and screenwriter, best known for his critically acclaimed movies such as "The Bubble" and "Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsallem." He was born in 1976 and has received numerous awards for his thought-provoking and socially conscious films.
Another notable figure was Ayal Frank, an Israeli-American physicist and entrepreneur. Born in 1959, he made significant contributions to the fields of optics and laser technology, founding several successful companies in the process.
Lastly, Ayal Admor was an Israeli basketball player who represented his country in international competitions. Born in 1988, he played professionally for several teams in Israel and Europe, and was part of the Israeli national team.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Ayal throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and professions. The name continues to be popular, particularly in Israel and among Jewish communities, carrying with it the rich cultural heritage and symbolism of grace, agility, and beauty.
People
Ayal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ayal 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
Ayal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ayal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 37 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ayal 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 9,263,631 US residents.
Is Ayal a common name?
We classify Ayal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 49.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 39 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ayal most popular?
The single biggest year for Ayal was 1989, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ayal is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ayal in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 205 people with the name Ayal, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #37,817 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 Ayal 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 Ayal?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ayal leans strongly male. 171 people counted with this name were male (83.0%), compared with 35 female bearers (17.0%). 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 Ayal?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ayal is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Ayal most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ayal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (170 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 Ayal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ayal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ayal in the SSA data are male. 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 Ayal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ayal 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 Ayal 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 called Ayal?
You can see how many people share the name Ayal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.