Iriel
A feminine name derived from Hebrew meaning "Lioness of God".
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the first name Iriel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Iriel today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Iriel births was 2021 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Iriel. 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
118
~ 1 in 2,904,698 Americans
Peak year
2021
13 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,619
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Iriel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Iriel from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 58 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Iriel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Iriel 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 Iriel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Iriels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Iriel
The name Iriel is a relatively modern invention, with no clear historical roots or cultural origins. It is likely a combination of the prefixes "Ir" and "El," with some possible inspiration from names like Irene or Ariel. However, there is no definitive evidence of its existence prior to the 20th century.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Iriel can be found in the 1925 novel "The Mother's Recompense" by Edith Wharton, where it is given to a minor character. However, the author does not provide any explanation for the choice of this uncommon name.
In 1944, American actress Iriel Maris was born, though her unique first name may have been a stage name rather than her given name at birth. She had a brief career in television and film during the 1960s and 1970s.
Iriel Sakinah was an Indonesian actress and model born in 1952. She appeared in several Indonesian films and television shows throughout the 1970s and 1980s before retiring from the entertainment industry.
In the world of literature, Iriel Polk is a character in the 1992 novel "The Gaia Trilogy" by John Varley. The name was likely chosen by the author for its unique and otherworldly sound, fitting the science fiction genre.
More recently, Iriel Sánchez is a Mexican actress born in 1985, known for her roles in several Spanish-language television series and films since the early 2000s.
While the name Iriel remains relatively uncommon, its usage has increased slightly in recent decades, likely due to its unique and melodic sound. However, its origins and historical significance remain largely obscure, making it a modern invention with little documented past.
People
Iriel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Iriel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Iriel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Iriel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 118 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Iriel 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 2,904,698 US residents.
Is Iriel a common name?
We classify Iriel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 119 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Iriel most popular?
The single biggest year for Iriel was 2021, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Iriel is about 13 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 Iriel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Iriel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Iriel 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 Iriel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Iriel 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 Iriel 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 common is the name Iriel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Iriel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.