Gaelle
Of French origin meaning "joyous celebration" or "festive one".
Name Census estimates that about 471 living Americans carry the first name Gaelle. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gaelle today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gaelle births was 2023 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gaelle. 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
471
~ 1 in 727,716 Americans
Peak year
2023
20 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,450
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Gaelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gaelle from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 149 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Gaelle remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gaelle 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 Gaelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gaelles live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gaelle
The given name Gaelle has its origins in the French language and culture. It is a feminine name derived from the ancient Gaulish word "Gael," which means "a person of the land" or "from the woods." The name is closely tied to the historical Celtic tribes that inhabited parts of modern-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland.
The earliest recorded use of the name Gaelle can be traced back to the 6th century, when it appeared in various Frankish and Merovingian records. During this time, the name was often spelled in slightly different variations, such as "Gaiele" or "Gaela."
In the Middle Ages, the name Gaelle gained popularity among the nobility and upper classes of French society. It was particularly favored by families with strong ties to the regions of Brittany and Normandy, where Celtic influence was more prominent.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Gaelle was Gaelle de Thouars (1201-1242), a French noblewoman and heiress who played a significant role in the political affairs of the Duchy of Brittany during the 13th century.
Another historical figure with this name was Gaelle de Sens (1325-1388), a renowned French scholar and theologian who was highly regarded for her contributions to the field of canon law and her advocacy for women's education.
In the Renaissance period, the name Gaelle gained further recognition through the works of renowned French writers and poets. One such example is Gaelle de Beaulieu (1549-1617), a celebrated poet and author whose works were widely acclaimed during her lifetime.
The name also found its way into the annals of French military history. Gaelle de Montfort (1670-1733) was a highly decorated French officer who served with distinction in the Wars of the Spanish Succession and later became a celebrated military strategist and writer.
Another notable figure with this name was Gaelle de Champlain (1798-1879), a French explorer and cartographer who played a crucial role in mapping and documenting the territories of what is now modern-day Canada and the United States.
People
Gaelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gaelle as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gaelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gaelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 471 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gaelle 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 727,716 US residents.
Is Gaelle a common name?
We classify Gaelle as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 480 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gaelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Gaelle was 2023, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gaelle is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gaelle a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gaelle 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.
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.