Total births
201,746
Girls' name · since 1881
Gail
Gail has 201,746 recorded births since 1881 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1951 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #6647
- among girls today
- 201,746
- born since 1881
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 63%
- more common than other girls
201,746 babies have been named Gail since 1881, making it today's #6647 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gail has been recorded 201,746 times among girls since 1881, currently ranked #6647 nationally and more common than 63% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #6647 among girls today
- 201,746 born since 1881
- 1950s peak decade
- 63% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Gail is currently the #6647 girls' name in America, more common than 63% of girls - 201,746 born since 1881, peaking in the 1950s.
- #6647
- among girls today
- 201,746
- born since 1881
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 63%
- more common than other girls
Gail vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#6647
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 63% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
42% of everyone ever named Gail was born in this single decade.
1951
Single peak year
9,886 babies were named Gail in 1951 - its busiest year on record.
How Gail compares
201,746 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Gail's all-time total is 528x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gail | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 201,746 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 9,886 | 48 | 19,840 |
Gail's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Gail's full recorded timeline at 1953, 50% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 50% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1951 peak of 9,886 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Gail at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1951
Current rank
#6,647
Active since
1881
Gail popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (1951)
- 9,886
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Gail popularity over time - boys
8,952 total births recorded since 1882 (Gail as boys' name)
Gail by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Gail's strongest decade.
85,618 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 42% of all-time use.
Gail births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 101
1880s
101 births
- 1890s 287
1890s
287 births
- 1900s 291
1900s
291 births
- 1910s 1,216
1910s
1,216 births
- 1920s 1,746
1920s
1,746 births
- 1930s 15,854
1930s
15,854 births
- 1940s
1940s
53,140 births
- 1950s
1950s
85,618 births
- 1960s 32,877
1960s
32,877 births
- 1970s 7,138
1970s
7,138 births
- 1980s 2,171
1980s
2,171 births
- 1990s 752
1990s
752 births
- 2000s 284
2000s
284 births
- 2010s 169
2010s
169 births
- 2020s 102
2020s
102 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 85,618 births (42% of all-time use).
How Gail compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Gail's total volume
Gail vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Gail by state
Where Gail concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 26,583 | 13.2% |
| #2 | California | | 14,160 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 13,116 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 12,653 | 6.3% |
| #5 | Massachusetts | | 11,544 | 5.7% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 11,399 | 5.7% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 10,128 | 5.0% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 9,157 | 4.5% |
New York share of Gail's total US births 13.2%
Even split
26,583 of 201,746 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Gail appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gail? ▼
Since 1881, Social Security records show 201,746 babies named Gail. Today it holds rank #6647 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1951, with 9,886 births.
When was Gail most popular? ▼
Gail was most popular in the 1950s decade with 85,618 total births. The single peak year was 1951.
Where is Gail most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Gail are New York (26,583 births), California (14,160 births), Pennsylvania (13,116 births).
How long has the name Gail been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Gail since 1881 -- 145 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Gail? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gaia, Gaile, Gaila, Gailya, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Gail's data
- Gail's decade-level peak was the 1950s (85,618 total births); usage has since declined to 102 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Gails (26,583 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gail
Nearby Names Like Gail
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gail
Gaia Girl
#1145 2,434 births
Gaile Girl
898 births
Gaila Girl
564 births
Gailya Girl
196 births
Gailyn Girl
135 births
Compare Gail side by side: Gail vs Gaia Gail vs Gaile Gail vs Gaila
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gail
Mame #6646
672 births · Peak 2002
Rosey #6648
1,288 births · Peak 2020
Louie #6645
2,346 births · Peak 1918
Annabell #6649
6,725 births · Peak 2014
Patsy #6644
119,448 births · Peak 1941
Cathryn #6650
16,332 births · Peak 1956
Zelma #6643
16,824 births · Peak 1919
Eleonore #6651
1,088 births · Peak 1923
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1881–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Gail: #6647 Girls' Name - 201,746 Births, Peak 1951." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/gail. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Gail draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.