Unisex nameCurrently #299 in the USFalling
Ariel
AIR-ee-ul//ˈɛəriəl//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19915 lettersStarts with A
Meaning & origin
Lion of God
Ariel comes from the Hebrew meaning 'lion of God', used in the Bible as a poetic name for Jerusalem, and traditionally a boys' name. It shifted strongly toward girls' use in English-speaking countries following Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' and its heroine Ariel, though it remains used for boys in Hebrew-speaking contexts.
Ariel's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Ariel |
|---|---|
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1894 | 5 |
| 1899 | 5 |
| 1900 | 5 |
| 1904 | 6 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1906 | 8 |
| 1907 | 9 |
| 1908 | 12 |
| 1909 | 7 |
| 1910 | 6 |
| 1911 | 14 |
| 1912 | 9 |
| 1913 | 24 |
| 1914 | 16 |
| 1915 | 30 |
| 1916 | 34 |
| 1917 | 24 |
| 1918 | 33 |
| 1919 | 11 |
| 1920 | 32 |
| 1921 | 26 |
| 1922 | 29 |
| 1923 | 23 |
| 1924 | 19 |
| 1925 | 12 |
| 1926 | 8 |
| 1927 | 19 |
| 1928 | 16 |
| 1929 | 25 |
| 1930 | 16 |
| 1931 | 17 |
| 1932 | 8 |
| 1933 | 7 |
| 1934 | 13 |
| 1935 | 16 |
| 1936 | 11 |
| 1937 | 17 |
| 1938 | 24 |
| 1939 | 7 |
| 1941 | 11 |
| 1942 | 13 |
| 1943 | 16 |
| 1944 | 13 |
| 1945 | 18 |
| 1946 | 18 |
| 1947 | 13 |
| 1948 | 15 |
| 1949 | 14 |
| 1950 | 16 |
| 1951 | 19 |
| 1952 | 20 |
| 1953 | 19 |
| 1954 | 14 |
| 1955 | 6 |
| 1956 | 23 |
| 1957 | 35 |
| 1958 | 16 |
| 1959 | 20 |
| 1960 | 37 |
| 1961 | 46 |
| 1962 | 27 |
| 1963 | 38 |
| 1964 | 50 |
| 1965 | 54 |
| 1966 | 38 |
| 1967 | 73 |
| 1968 | 109 |
| 1969 | 112 |
| 1970 | 121 |
| 1971 | 113 |
| 1972 | 131 |
| 1973 | 148 |
| 1974 | 191 |
| 1975 | 235 |
| 1976 | 240 |
| 1977 | 262 |
| 1978 | 386 |
| 1979 | 370 |
| 1980 | 420 |
| 1981 | 464 |
| 1982 | 878 |
| 1983 | 965 |
| 1984 | 917 |
| 1985 | 890 |
| 1986 | 952 |
| 1987 | 920 |
| 1988 | 1,256 |
| 1989 | 1,667 |
| 1990 | 4,015 |
| 1991 | 6,077 |
| 1992 | 4,417 |
| 1993 | 3,148 |
| 1994 | 2,631 |
| 1995 | 2,596 |
| 1996 | 2,393 |
| 1997 | 2,654 |
| 1998 | 2,617 |
| 1999 | 2,256 |
| 2000 | 2,137 |
| 2001 | 2,059 |
| 2002 | 1,989 |
| 2003 | 1,935 |
| 2004 | 1,962 |
| 2005 | 2,006 |
| 2006 | 2,307 |
| 2007 | 2,305 |
| 2008 | 2,008 |
| 2009 | 2,052 |
| 2010 | 1,875 |
| 2011 | 1,817 |
| 2012 | 2,037 |
| 2013 | 2,438 |
| 2014 | 2,763 |
| 2015 | 2,813 |
| 2016 | 2,799 |
| 2017 | 2,675 |
| 2018 | 2,298 |
| 2019 | 2,193 |
| 2020 | 1,965 |
| 2021 | 1,858 |
| 2022 | 1,811 |
| 2023 | 1,659 |
| 2024 | 1,646 |
Ariel through the decades
- Ariel peaked in 1991, when 6,077 babies were named Ariel in the US.
- Ariel currently ranks #299 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Ari
Variants & spellings
Arielle