Gabriel
Gabriel was given to 6,569 boys in 2025, #37 among boys’ names; 402,627 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 384,000 Americans named Gabriel and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (95% of everyone recorded); the median is 20 years old and half are between 12 and 30.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Gabriel by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Gabriel mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Gabriel is “a male given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew].” Its etymology gives the senses “God is my strong man” (גַּבְרִיאֵל) and “strong man, hero” (גֶּבֶר) and “God, deity” (אֵל).
From Latin Gabriel, from Ancient Greek Γαβρῑήλ (Gabrīḗl), from Hebrew גַּבְרִיאֵל (gaḇrīʾḗl, “God is my strong man”), from גֶּבֶר (géver, “strong man, hero”) and אֵל (ʾēl, “God, deity”), from Proto-Semitic *ʾil-. Doublet of Jibril.
/ˈɡeɪ.bɹi.əl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Gabriel?
#37 among boys’ names, 2025
Gabriel fell from #22 in 2015 to #37 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 5.7 to 3.8 per 1,000.
13,188 babies in 2008, the peak
Gabriel peaked in 2008, when 13,188 babies were given it (13,041 boys, #24 among boys’ names). The 6,579 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 50% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6,569 | #37 | 3.8 |
| 2024 | 6,410 | #43 | 3.7 |
| 2023 | 6,786 | #38 | 4.0 |
| 2022 | 7,257 | #36 | 4.2 |
| 2021 | 7,302 | #38 | 4.2 |
| 2020 | 7,172 | #38 | 4.2 |
| 2019 | 7,768 | #37 | 4.3 |
| 2018 | 8,439 | #35 | 4.6 |
| 2017 | 9,178 | #31 | 5.0 |
| 2016 | 10,279 | #25 | 5.4 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 10,913 | #22 | 5.7 |
| 2014 | 10,961 | #24 | 5.7 |
| 2013 | 11,245 | #24 | 5.9 |
| 2012 | 11,580 | #24 | 6.1 |
| 2011 | 12,367 | #24 | 6.5 |
| 2010 | 12,891 | #21 | 6.7 |
| 2009 | 12,834 | #22 | 6.5 |
| 2008 | 13,041 | #24 | 6.4 |
| 2007 | 12,911 | #28 | 6.2 |
| 2006 | 12,543 | #28 | 6.1 |
| 2005 | 12,759 | #28 | 6.4 |
| 2004 | 11,563 | #32 | 5.8 |
| 2003 | 12,522 | #29 | 6.3 |
| 2002 | 12,059 | #32 | 6.2 |
| 2001 | 10,917 | #38 | 5.6 |
| 2000 | 8,681 | #44 | 4.4 |
| 1999 | 7,369 | #53 | 3.8 |
| 1998 | 7,068 | #54 | 3.7 |
| 1997 | 6,406 | #57 | 3.4 |
| 1996 | 5,900 | #61 | 3.1 |
| 1995 | 5,713 | #65 | 3.0 |
| 1994 | 5,539 | #68 | 2.9 |
| 1993 | 4,375 | #86 | 2.2 |
| 1992 | 4,336 | #86 | 2.2 |
| 1991 | 4,414 | #82 | 2.2 |
| 1990 | 3,699 | #100 | 1.8 |
| 1989 | 3,038 | #110 | 1.5 |
| 1988 | 3,119 | #102 | 1.6 |
| 1987 | 3,079 | #98 | 1.6 |
| 1986 | 3,046 | #95 | 1.7 |
| 1985 | 3,215 | #92 | 1.7 |
| 1984 | 3,325 | #87 | 1.8 |
| 1983 | 3,269 | #89 | 1.8 |
| 1982 | 3,363 | #88 | 1.9 |
| 1981 | 3,373 | #87 | 1.9 |
| 1980 | 3,493 | #85 | 2.0 |
| 1979 | 3,235 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 1978 | 3,126 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 1977 | 3,346 | #87 | 2.0 |
| 1976 | 3,303 | #81 | 2.1 |
| 1975 | 2,431 | #106 | 1.6 |
| 1974 | 2,232 | #117 | 1.4 |
| 1973 | 1,980 | #130 | 1.3 |
| 1972 | 1,920 | #139 | 1.2 |
| 1971 | 1,573 | #173 | 0.89 |
| 1970 | 1,244 | #205 | 0.67 |
| 1969 | 864 | #247 | 0.48 |
| 1968 | 735 | #270 | 0.42 |
| 1967 | 644 | #285 | 0.37 |
| 1966 | 547 | #318 | 0.31 |
| 1965 | 620 | #301 | 0.33 |
| 1964 | 617 | #311 | 0.31 |
| 1963 | 581 | #328 | 0.29 |
| 1962 | 573 | #328 | 0.28 |
| 1961 | 551 | #334 | 0.26 |
| 1960 | 427 | #382 | 0.20 |
| 1959 | 449 | #372 | 0.21 |
| 1958 | 362 | #411 | 0.17 |
| 1957 | 384 | #393 | 0.18 |
| 1956 | 345 | #409 | 0.16 |
| 1955 | 332 | #398 | 0.16 |
| 1954 | 291 | #420 | 0.14 |
| 1953 | 275 | #421 | 0.14 |
| 1952 | 262 | #431 | 0.13 |
| 1951 | 246 | #432 | 0.13 |
| 1950 | 258 | #417 | 0.14 |
| 1949 | 265 | #419 | 0.15 |
| 1948 | 216 | #453 | 0.12 |
| 1947 | 236 | #437 | 0.13 |
| 1946 | 173 | #488 | 0.11 |
| 1945 | 163 | #466 | 0.12 |
| 1944 | 194 | #440 | 0.14 |
| 1943 | 199 | #450 | 0.14 |
| 1942 | 194 | #444 | 0.14 |
| 1941 | 206 | #410 | 0.17 |
| 1940 | 193 | #420 | 0.17 |
| 1939 | 153 | #466 | 0.14 |
| 1938 | 170 | #442 | 0.15 |
| 1937 | 172 | #431 | 0.16 |
| 1936 | 202 | #385 | 0.19 |
| 1935 | 178 | #414 | 0.17 |
| 1934 | 163 | #443 | 0.16 |
| 1933 | 188 | #395 | 0.19 |
| 1932 | 184 | #413 | 0.18 |
| 1931 | 209 | #388 | 0.20 |
| 1930 | 220 | #385 | 0.20 |
| 1929 | 237 | #374 | 0.22 |
| 1928 | 255 | #366 | 0.23 |
| 1927 | 247 | #373 | 0.22 |
| 1926 | 202 | #427 | 0.18 |
| 1925 | 202 | #423 | 0.18 |
| 1924 | 235 | #395 | 0.21 |
| 1923 | 209 | #415 | 0.19 |
| 1922 | 194 | #433 | 0.18 |
| 1921 | 219 | #410 | 0.20 |
| 1920 | 201 | #420 | 0.19 |
| 1919 | 191 | #425 | 0.19 |
| 1918 | 190 | #423 | 0.19 |
| 1917 | 190 | #410 | 0.21 |
| 1916 | 174 | #428 | 0.20 |
| 1915 | 173 | #408 | 0.20 |
| 1914 | 131 | #418 | 0.20 |
| 1913 | 114 | #405 | 0.22 |
| 1912 | 84 | #427 | 0.20 |
| 1911 | 47 | #420 | 0.21 |
| 1910 | 41 | #425 | 0.21 |
| 1909 | 39 | #391 | 0.24 |
| 1908 | 34 | #409 | 0.22 |
| 1907 | 21 | #521 | 0.14 |
| 1906 | 16 | #598 | 0.12 |
| 1905 | 29 | #397 | 0.22 |
| 1904 | 14 | #625 | 0.11 |
| 1903 | 18 | #510 | 0.15 |
| 1902 | 23 | #430 | 0.19 |
| 1901 | 21 | #414 | 0.20 |
| 1900 | 19 | #564 | 0.13 |
| 1899 | 12 | #593 | 0.11 |
| 1898 | 17 | #512 | 0.14 |
| 1897 | 10 | #699 | 0.09 |
| 1896 | 18 | #488 | 0.15 |
| 1895 | 14 | #565 | 0.12 |
| 1894 | 22 | #402 | 0.19 |
| 1893 | 16 | #468 | 0.14 |
| 1892 | 10 | #706 | 0.08 |
| 1891 | 10 | #616 | 0.10 |
| 1890 | 15 | #496 | 0.14 |
| 1889 | 9 | #690 | 0.08 |
| 1888 | 13 | #564 | 0.11 |
| 1887 | 18 | #397 | 0.18 |
| 1886 | 13 | #522 | 0.12 |
| 1885 | 11 | #587 | 0.10 |
| 1884 | 21 | #388 | 0.18 |
| 1883 | 10 | #611 | 0.10 |
| 1882 | 20 | #403 | 0.18 |
| 1881 | 17 | #423 | 0.17 |
| 1880 | 15 | #472 | 0.14 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Gabriel a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 402,627 Americans recorded as Gabriel, 2% are girls and 98% boys. In 2025 it went to 10 girls and 6,569 boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Gabriel: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Gabriel, and how old are they?
384,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 95% of the 402,627 Americans ever recorded as Gabriel. The median Gabriel alive today is 20 years old; half are between 12 and 30.
The 2020 Census counted 347,542 people named Gabriel (6,275 women and girls, 341,267 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 348,409 born in the U.S. The Census count matches that prediction to within 1%.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 657 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 4,840 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 28,700 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 62,300 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 178,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 110,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Gabriel born?
The states with the most babies named Gabriel are Texas, California and Florida, with 31% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 792 | #32 | 1.2× |
| California | 742 | #43 | 1.3× |
| Florida | 518 | #23 | 1.2× |
| New York | 395 | #32 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 243 | #29 | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 227 | #49 | 0.8× |
| Georgia | 216 | #35 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 204 | #46 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 175 | #59 | 0.7× |
| New Jersey | 175 | #51 | 0.9× |
Where Gabriel is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Gabriel is most over-represented in New Mexico: since 1910 it was given 2.0 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Gabriel with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 406,655 babies since 1880, Gabriel is the most given (99% of them). In 2025 it was given to 6,579 of their 6,579 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Gabriel
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Gabriel and names like it
- Compare Gabriel and GabrialBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2000sGabriel peaked in 2008.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Gabriel since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Gabriel: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2008The year the most babies were named Gabriel.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Gabriel alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with GMost given first.