US rank #6619 Girls' name Peak 1951 201,730 births

Gail — #6619 US girls' name

201,730 babies named Gail in U.S. Social Security records since 1881, with the highest year being 1951. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s1011890s2871900s2911910s12161920s17461930s158541940s531391950s856191960s328731970s71381980s21711990s7522000s2842010s1692020s90
#6619
of 17,661 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.

What the Data Says About Gail

The Social Security Administration has registered 201,730 babies named Gail between 1881 and 2024, spanning 144 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Gail currently holds the #6619 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1951, when 9,886 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Gail performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 85,619 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Gail shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 26,582 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Pennsylvania. In total, SSA state-level files list Gail in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Gail in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 201,730 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Gail at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

201,730

Since 1881

144 years of records

Peak year

1951

9,886 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#6,619

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1881

Recorded for 144 years

Last year on file: 2024

Gail popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1881

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1951)
9,886
Annual births at peak — across 144 years of records
-5,00005,00010,00015,000 202420061988197019521934191618981881 5

Gail popularity over time — boys

8,951 total births recorded since 1882 (Gail as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 8,951 births
-50050100150200250 198919751962194919361923191018971882 7

Gail by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
85,619 births that decade — 42% of Gail's all-time total
1880s1011890s2871900s2911910s12161920s17461930s158541940s531391950s856191960s328731970s71381980s21711990s7522000s2842010s1692020s90

Gail by state

Where Gail concentrates geographically — total births since 1881

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Gail
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
26,582 13.2%
#2 California
14,160 7.0%
#3 Pennsylvania
13,116 6.5%
#4 Illinois
12,651 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

26,582 of 201,730 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?
201,730 babies have been named Gail since 1881. It currently ranks #6619 among girls. The peak year was 1951 with 9,886 births.
When was Gail most popular?
Gail was most popular in the 1950s decade with 85,619 total births. The single peak year was 1951.
Where is Gail most popular?
The top states for the name Gail are New York (26,582 births), California (14,160 births), Pennsylvania (13,116 births).
How long has the name Gail been used?
Gail has been recorded in Social Security data since 1881, spanning 144 years of data through 2024.
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.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1881–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.