Azarael
A feminine name of Hebrew origin signifying "whom God helps".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Azarael. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Azarael today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Azarael births was 2014 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Azarael. 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 Azarael. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2014
5 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2014 SSA rank
#12,293
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Azarael: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Azarael 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 Azarael during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Azarael
The name Azarael has its origins traced back to the Hebrew language and Jewish culture. It is believed to have derived from the Hebrew name Azriel, which means "Help of God" or "God is my helper". The earliest known spelling of the name is Azarael, dating back to the Middle Ages.
In the ancient Jewish mystical text, the Zohar, a central work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought, Azarael is mentioned as the name of an archangel. This archangel is described as the Angel of Death, responsible for leading departed souls to the afterlife. The name Azarael is closely associated with this angelic figure in Jewish mysticism and folklore.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Azarael can be found in the 13th-century Kabbalistic work, the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh, also known as the "Book of the Angel Raziel". This text, which delves into Jewish mysticism and magic, features Azarael as one of the principal angels.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Azarael. One of the earliest was Azarael ben Elijah, a Jewish philosopher and scholar who lived in the 12th century in Seville, Spain. He was known for his contributions to Jewish philosophy and his work on the rationalist interpretation of the Bible.
Another prominent figure with the name Azarael was Azarael ben Joseph, a Jewish rabbi and scholar who lived in the 16th century in Safed, Palestine. He was a renowned Kabbalist and played a significant role in the development of Jewish mysticism during the Renaissance period.
In the 19th century, Azarael Jacobs was a British painter and engraver who specialized in portraiture and historical scenes. Born in 1805 and died in 1876, he was known for his meticulous attention to detail and his ability to capture the essence of his subjects.
In the realm of literature, Azarael Ginzburg was a Russian writer and poet who lived from 1908 to 1958. He was part of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee during World War II and is remembered for his powerful works that explored themes of Jewish identity and resistance against oppression.
Lastly, Azarael Haifa was an Israeli artist and sculptor who lived from 1920 to 2007. His abstract and modernist works explored the themes of spirituality, mythology, and the human form, earning him recognition both in Israel and internationally.
People
Azarael + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Azarael 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
Azarael: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Azarael?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Azarael 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Azarael a common name?
We classify Azarael as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Azarael most popular?
The single biggest year for Azarael was 2014, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Azarael is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Azarael in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Azarael a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Azarael 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 Azarael still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Azarael 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 Azarael 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Azarael?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.