Yaeli
A feminine Hebrew name meaning "carried by God" or "to ascend".
Name Census estimates that about 235 living Americans carry the first name Yaeli. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yaeli today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yaeli births was 2020 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yaeli. 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
235
~ 1 in 1,458,529 Americans
Peak year
2020
19 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,597
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Yaeli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yaeli from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 84 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yaeli 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 Yaeli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yaelis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yaeli
The given name Yaeli is a Hebrew name with origins dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "ya'al," which means "ibex" or "mountain goat." The ibex, a wild goat found in the mountainous regions of the Middle East, was a symbol of agility, strength, and resilience in ancient Israelite culture.
The name Yaeli likely emerged as a way to honor these qualities or to express a connection with nature and the rugged landscapes of the region. In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Job mentions the ibex as one of God's creations, highlighting its significance in the cultural and spiritual traditions of ancient Israel.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Yaeli can be found in the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism dating back to the 3rd and 6th centuries CE. The name appears in reference to a Jewish scholar and sage known as Yaeli ben Valah.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Yaeli. In the 12th century, Yaeli ben Shmuel was a prominent Jewish philosopher and theologian born in Spain. His works explored the intersection of Jewish tradition and Greek philosophy, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time.
During the 16th century, Yaeli ibn Yahya was a renowned Jewish poet and scholar from Morocco. His poetic works celebrated the beauty of language and the richness of Sephardic Jewish culture, leaving a lasting impact on the literary traditions of the region.
In more recent times, Yaeli Amit (1945-2018) was an Israeli author and playwright known for her insightful explorations of the human condition and the complexities of modern Israeli society. Her works, including the novel "The Last of the Warriors" and the play "Three Stories," garnered critical acclaim and contributed to the cultural landscape of Israel.
Another notable figure was Yaeli Goren (1967-2012), an Israeli singer and songwriter whose music blended traditional Jewish melodies with contemporary genres. Her powerful voice and evocative lyrics resonated with audiences both in Israel and around the world, earning her recognition as a cultural ambassador for her country.
Throughout its long history, the name Yaeli has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, each leaving their mark on the cultural, intellectual, and artistic realms of their respective eras.
People
Yaeli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yaeli as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yaeli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yaeli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 235 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yaeli 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 1,458,529 US residents.
Is Yaeli a common name?
We classify Yaeli as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 237 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yaeli most popular?
The single biggest year for Yaeli was 2020, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yaeli is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Yaeli a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yaeli 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.