Jaiel
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "He who praises God".
Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the first name Jaiel. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 68.3% of registrations being male. The average person named Jaiel today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jaiel births was 2008 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jaiel. 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
200
~ 1 in 1,713,772 Americans
Peak year
2008
18 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,578
Tracked since 2001
Gender
Gender distribution for Jaiel
Jaiel is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 202 total registrations, 138 (68.3%) were male and 64 (31.7%) were female.
Jaiel as a male name
- Ranked #8,578 in 2024
- 9 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (13 births)
Jaiel as a female name
- Ranked #16,230 in 2021
- 5 female births in 2021
- Peak: 2011 (8 births)
Popularity
Jaiel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jaiel from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 92 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jaiel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jaiel 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 Jaiel 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 Jaiel
The name Jaiel is believed to have its origins in the Hebrew language, derived from the biblical name Ya'el, which means "mountain goat" or "ibex." It is a relatively uncommon name, with roots tracing back to ancient Middle Eastern cultures.
The earliest known reference to the name Jaiel can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically in the Book of Judges. In this account, Jael (or Yael) was a woman who played a significant role in the defeat of the Canaanite army by driving a tent peg through the head of their commander, Sisera.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Jaiel is from the 6th century. Jaiel ben Buki was a Jewish scholar and author who lived in Tiberias, Galilee, during the late Byzantine period. His works focused on the interpretation of Jewish law and the Talmud.
In the 11th century, Jaiel ben Abraham was a prominent Jewish philosopher and poet from Spain. He was known for his contributions to the development of Jewish philosophy and his poetic works that explored religious and ethical themes.
During the 16th century, Jaiel Bachir was a celebrated Jewish physician and scholar from Italy. He was highly regarded for his medical expertise and his writings on Jewish law and philosophy.
In more recent history, Jaiel Chambers was a British soldier who served during the American Revolutionary War. He was captured by American forces in 1777 and later released as part of a prisoner exchange.
While the name Jaiel is not widespread, it has been carried by notable individuals throughout history, primarily within the Jewish and Christian traditions. Its unique spelling and biblical origins have contributed to its enduring legacy as a name with deep cultural and religious significance.
People
Jaiel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jaiel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jaiel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jaiel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 200 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jaiel 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 1,713,772 US residents.
Is Jaiel a common name?
We classify Jaiel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 202 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jaiel most popular?
The single biggest year for Jaiel was 2008, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jaiel 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 Jaiel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jaiel a male name?
Yes, 68.3% of people registered as Jaiel 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 Jaiel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jaiel 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 Jaiel 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 are named Jaiel?
Find out how many people have the name Jaiel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.