Total births
51
Girls' name · since 1917
Gathel
51 babies named Gathel in U.S. Social Security records since 1917, with the highest year being 1919. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 51
- total births
- 1917–1940
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 53%
- born in that decade
Gathel sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 51 recorded since 1917.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gathel has been recorded 51 times among girls since 1917, though it is not among the currently most-used girls names, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1917 to 1940.
- 51 total births
- 1917–1940 years on record
- 1920s peak decade
- 53% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
51 girls have been named Gathel since 1917, peaking in the 1920s, last recorded in 1940.
- 51
- total births
- 1917–1940
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 53%
- born in that decade
1920s
Peak decade
53% of everyone ever named Gathel was born in this single decade.
1919
Single peak year
8 babies were named Gathel in 1919 - its busiest year on record.
Gathel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Gathel's full recorded timeline at 1925, 51% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 49% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1918, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1919 peak of 8 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Gathel at a glance
Last recorded 1940Peak year
1919
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1917
Gathel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1917–1940
- Peak year (1919)
- 8
- Annual births at peak, across 24 years of records
Gathel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Gathel's strongest decade.
27 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 53% of all-time use.
Gathel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s
1910s
19 births
- 1920s
1920s
27 births
- 1940s 5
1940s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 27 births (53% of all-time use).
Gathel by state
Where Gathel concentrates geographically, total births since 1917
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Kentucky | | 5 | 9.8% |
Kentucky share of Gathel's total US births 9.8%
5 of 51 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gathel? ▼
Gathel has been given to 51 babies in the U.S. since 1917, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 1940. 8 babies were born in 1919, its single highest year.
When was Gathel most popular? ▼
Gathel was most popular in the 1920s decade with 27 total births. The single peak year was 1919.
Where is Gathel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Gathel are Kentucky (5 births).
How long has the name Gathel been used? ▼
Records for Gathel go back to 1917, giving 24 years of history through 1940.
What names are similar to Gathel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gatha, Gatlynn, Gatlyn, Gates, and 2 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Gathel's data
- Gathel's decade-level peak was the 1920s (27 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 1940s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Kentucky records the most Gathels (5 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Kentucky 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 Gathel
Nearby Names Like Gathel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gathel
Gatha Girl
584 births
Gatlynn Girl
#13132 60 births
Gatlyn Girl
52 births
Gates Girl
44 births
Gatlin Girl
#16999 40 births
Compare Gathel side by side: Gathel vs Gatha Gathel vs Gatlynn Gathel vs Gatlyn
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
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, 1917–1940 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Gathel: Baby Name Since 1917 - 51 Births, Peak 1919." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/gathel. 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 Gathel 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.