Gemayel
A masculine Arabic name meaning "hunch-backed" or "camel driver".
Name Census estimates that about 69 living Americans carry the first name Gemayel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gemayel today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gemayel births was 1982 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gemayel. 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 Gemayel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
69
~ 1 in 4,967,454 Americans
Peak year
1982
22 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1985 SSA rank
#4,156
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Gemayel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gemayel 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 Gemayel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 72 | 0 | 72 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gemayel
The name Gemayel is of Arabic origin, hailing from the Middle East region. It is derived from the Arabic root word "jamal," which means beauty or grace. The name Gemayel is believed to have emerged in the medieval era, around the 7th or 8th century AD, during the rise of the Islamic civilization in the Arabian Peninsula.
Gemayel is thought to be a variant spelling of the more common Arabic name Jamal or Jameel. The name's roots can be traced back to ancient Arabic poetry and literature, where it was often used to describe the beauty and elegance of nature, people, or even abstract concepts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gemayel can be found in the writings of the renowned Arab philosopher and poet Al-Mutanabbi, who lived from 915 to 965 AD. In his poetry, he referred to a person named Gemayel, suggesting the name's usage during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gemayel. One of the most prominent figures was Bashir Gemayel, a Lebanese politician and military commander who played a significant role in the Lebanese Civil War. He was born in 1947 and assassinated in 1982.
Another famous bearer of the name was Amine Gemayel, the brother of Bashir Gemayel, who served as the President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988. He was born in 1942 and played a crucial role in the country's post-civil war reconstruction efforts.
In the realm of literature, Gemayel Tueini was a renowned Lebanese writer and journalist who lived from 1924 to 1948. He was known for his influential works that explored social and political issues in the Middle East.
Moving further back in time, a notable figure named Gemayel ibn Ubayd Allah al-Makhzumi lived during the 7th century AD. He was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and participated in several important battles during the early Islamic era.
Another historical figure with the name Gemayel was Gemayel ibn Ziyad al-Tamimi, who lived in the 8th century AD. He was a prominent scholar and jurist in the Islamic world, known for his contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence.
People
Gemayel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gemayel 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
Gemayel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gemayel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 69 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gemayel 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 4,967,454 US residents.
Is Gemayel a common name?
We classify Gemayel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 72 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gemayel most popular?
The single biggest year for Gemayel was 1982, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gemayel is about 43 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 Gemayel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gemayel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gemayel 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 Gemayel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gemayel 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 Gemayel 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 share the name Gemayel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.