Gail
Gail was given to 12 girls in 2025, #8,533 among girls’ names; 210,698 Americans have been recorded with it since 1881 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 143,000 Americans named Gail and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (68% of everyone recorded); the median is 72 years old and half are between 66 and 77.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Gail by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Gail mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Gail is “a female given name, a diminutive of Abigail.”
Also “Alternative spelling of Gayle (given name)”
/ɡeɪl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Gail?
#8,533 among girls’ names, 2025
Gail fell from #7,750 in 2015 to #8,533 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 8.4 to 7.5 per million.
10,066 babies in 1951, the peak
Gail peaked in 1951, when 10,066 babies were given it (9,886 girls, #36 among girls’ names). The 12 births of 2025 are under 1% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | #8,533 | 0.01 |
| 2024 | 17 | #6,740 | 0.01 |
| 2023 | 21 | #5,813 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 13 | #8,201 | 0.01 |
| 2021 | 20 | #6,021 | 0.01 |
| 2020 | 19 | #6,154 | 0.01 |
| 2019 | 15 | #7,476 | 0.01 |
| 2018 | 18 | #6,617 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 13 | #8,450 | 0.01 |
| 2016 | 20 | #6,256 | 0.01 |
Every recorded year (145)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 15 | #7,750 | 0.01 |
| 2014 | 13 | #8,630 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 24 | #5,541 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 22 | #5,973 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 14 | #8,337 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 15 | #8,027 | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 19 | #6,897 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 19 | #6,891 | 0.01 |
| 2007 | 23 | #5,954 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 21 | #6,205 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 24 | #5,323 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 46 | #3,281 | 0.03 |
| 2003 | 37 | #3,753 | 0.02 |
| 2002 | 30 | #4,210 | 0.02 |
| 2001 | 28 | #4,354 | 0.02 |
| 2000 | 37 | #3,538 | 0.02 |
| 1999 | 41 | #3,155 | 0.02 |
| 1998 | 57 | #2,434 | 0.03 |
| 1997 | 58 | #2,312 | 0.03 |
| 1996 | 63 | #2,158 | 0.04 |
| 1995 | 54 | #2,395 | 0.03 |
| 1994 | 65 | #2,105 | 0.04 |
| 1993 | 77 | #1,854 | 0.04 |
| 1992 | 93 | #1,630 | 0.05 |
| 1991 | 117 | #1,374 | 0.06 |
| 1990 | 127 | #1,278 | 0.07 |
| 1989 | 131 | #1,224 | 0.07 |
| 1988 | 136 | #1,129 | 0.08 |
| 1987 | 144 | #1,065 | 0.08 |
| 1986 | 154 | #1,002 | 0.09 |
| 1985 | 194 | #838 | 0.11 |
| 1984 | 238 | #698 | 0.14 |
| 1983 | 275 | #627 | 0.16 |
| 1982 | 306 | #593 | 0.18 |
| 1981 | 290 | #624 | 0.17 |
| 1980 | 303 | #605 | 0.18 |
| 1979 | 350 | #536 | 0.22 |
| 1978 | 392 | #496 | 0.26 |
| 1977 | 392 | #485 | 0.26 |
| 1976 | 475 | #426 | 0.32 |
| 1975 | 560 | #370 | 0.38 |
| 1974 | 628 | #346 | 0.43 |
| 1973 | 746 | #313 | 0.51 |
| 1972 | 987 | #267 | 0.65 |
| 1971 | 1,184 | #249 | 0.71 |
| 1970 | 1,424 | #222 | 0.81 |
| 1969 | 1,562 | #202 | 0.93 |
| 1968 | 1,802 | #180 | 1.1 |
| 1967 | 2,022 | #163 | 1.2 |
| 1966 | 2,301 | #152 | 1.4 |
| 1965 | 2,859 | #134 | 1.6 |
| 1964 | 3,446 | #125 | 1.8 |
| 1963 | 4,104 | #105 | 2.1 |
| 1962 | 4,380 | #103 | 2.2 |
| 1961 | 4,973 | #94 | 2.5 |
| 1960 | 5,428 | #90 | 2.7 |
| 1959 | 6,344 | #75 | 3.1 |
| 1958 | 6,608 | #72 | 3.3 |
| 1957 | 7,952 | #54 | 3.9 |
| 1956 | 8,435 | #49 | 4.2 |
| 1955 | 8,972 | #42 | 4.6 |
| 1954 | 9,726 | #37 | 5.0 |
| 1953 | 9,585 | #39 | 5.1 |
| 1952 | 9,760 | #39 | 5.3 |
| 1951 | 9,886 | #36 | 5.5 |
| 1950 | 8,350 | #42 | 4.9 |
| 1949 | 7,225 | #51 | 4.2 |
| 1948 | 6,603 | #51 | 3.9 |
| 1947 | 7,242 | #49 | 4.1 |
| 1946 | 6,227 | #49 | 4.0 |
| 1945 | 4,832 | #52 | 3.7 |
| 1944 | 4,526 | #56 | 3.4 |
| 1943 | 4,810 | #55 | 3.4 |
| 1942 | 4,445 | #60 | 3.3 |
| 1941 | 3,609 | #68 | 3.0 |
| 1940 | 3,621 | #65 | 3.2 |
| 1939 | 3,355 | #73 | 3.1 |
| 1938 | 3,214 | #77 | 2.9 |
| 1937 | 2,635 | #99 | 2.5 |
| 1936 | 2,342 | #101 | 2.3 |
| 1935 | 1,800 | #127 | 1.7 |
| 1934 | 1,176 | #164 | 1.1 |
| 1933 | 541 | #264 | 0.54 |
| 1932 | 354 | #337 | 0.33 |
| 1931 | 239 | #415 | 0.22 |
| 1930 | 198 | #476 | 0.18 |
| 1929 | 172 | #516 | 0.15 |
| 1928 | 173 | #529 | 0.15 |
| 1927 | 186 | #515 | 0.16 |
| 1926 | 206 | #485 | 0.17 |
| 1925 | 163 | #563 | 0.13 |
| 1924 | 165 | #568 | 0.13 |
| 1923 | 154 | #582 | 0.13 |
| 1922 | 142 | #610 | 0.12 |
| 1921 | 204 | #483 | 0.17 |
| 1920 | 181 | #525 | 0.15 |
| 1919 | 184 | #494 | 0.16 |
| 1918 | 206 | #465 | 0.18 |
| 1917 | 217 | #436 | 0.20 |
| 1916 | 196 | #457 | 0.19 |
| 1915 | 135 | #552 | 0.14 |
| 1914 | 102 | #554 | 0.13 |
| 1913 | 58 | #683 | 0.09 |
| 1912 | 53 | #691 | 0.09 |
| 1911 | 32 | #769 | 0.08 |
| 1910 | 33 | #743 | 0.08 |
| 1909 | 32 | #713 | 0.09 |
| 1908 | 30 | #717 | 0.09 |
| 1907 | 35 | #634 | 0.11 |
| 1906 | 34 | #616 | 0.12 |
| 1905 | 14 | #1,030 | 0.05 |
| 1904 | 36 | #565 | 0.13 |
| 1903 | 31 | #591 | 0.12 |
| 1902 | 26 | #657 | 0.10 |
| 1901 | 25 | #638 | 0.10 |
| 1900 | 28 | #680 | 0.09 |
| 1899 | 32 | #528 | 0.14 |
| 1898 | 32 | #575 | 0.12 |
| 1897 | 32 | #524 | 0.14 |
| 1896 | 36 | #493 | 0.15 |
| 1895 | 32 | #524 | 0.14 |
| 1894 | 22 | #632 | 0.10 |
| 1893 | 31 | #493 | 0.15 |
| 1892 | 21 | #625 | 0.10 |
| 1891 | 29 | #478 | 0.16 |
| 1890 | 20 | #588 | 0.11 |
| 1889 | 19 | #592 | 0.11 |
| 1888 | 15 | #673 | 0.08 |
| 1887 | 9 | #814 | 0.06 |
| 1886 | 12 | #672 | 0.08 |
| 1885 | 17 | #528 | 0.13 |
| 1884 | 8 | #815 | 0.06 |
| 1883 | 8 | #722 | 0.07 |
| 1882 | 8 | #707 | 0.07 |
| 1881 | 5 | #869 | 0.05 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Gail a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 210,698 Americans recorded as Gail, 96% are girls and 4% boys. Girls have outnumbered boys among babies named Gail every year since 1929. In 2025 it went to 12 girls; SSA lists no boys with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Gail: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Gail, and how old are they?
143,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 68% of the 210,698 Americans ever recorded as Gail. The median Gail alive today is 72 years old; half are between 66 and 77.
The 2020 Census counted 165,125 people named Gail (161,639 women and girls, 3,486 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 161,715 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 18,400 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 105,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 16,800 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 2,440 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 485 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 219 |
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 Gail born?
The states with the most babies named Gail are New York, California and Pennsylvania, with 27% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 26,778 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| California | 14,528 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 13,442 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 13,263 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Michigan | 11,706 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Massachusetts | 11,544 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| New Jersey | 10,128 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Ohio | 9,958 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Wisconsin | 6,360 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Minnesota | 5,148 | not ranked | 1.1× |
Where Gail is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Gail is most over-represented in Massachusetts: since 1910 it was given 1.8 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 girls’ 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 Gail 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 3 names spelled alike, given to 211,723 babies since 1880, Gail is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 12 of their 27 babies (44%), the second most given that year.
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 Gail
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 Gail and names like it
- Compare Gail and GaylBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sGail peaked in 1951.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Gail since 1910.
- The top names of 1951The year the most babies were named Gail.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Gail alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with GMost given first.