Unisex name · since 1895
Lael
Lael has 2,360 recorded births since 1895 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,208 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,943 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,360
- born since 1895
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Lael is the #1943 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 2,360 recorded since 1895.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lael has been recorded 2,360 times among girls since 1895, currently ranked #1943 nationally and more common than 89% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1895 to 2025.
- #4,208 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,943 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 2,360 born since 1895
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lael ranks #4,208 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,943 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 2,360 born since 1895, peaking in the 2010s.
- #4,208 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,943 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,360
- born since 1895
- 2010s
- peak decade
Lael's 2,360 recorded births place it above 94.18% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
13 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Lael compares
2,360 Top 21% higher than 79% of 17,297 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
Lael's all-time total is 6x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lael | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,360 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 99 | 21 | 19,840 |
Lael's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Lael splits its recorded history at 1971: 73% of all births land in the more recent half, 27% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1895 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 99 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Lael popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1895–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 99
- Annual births at peak, across 131 years of records
Lael popularity over time - boys
1,166 total births recorded since 1922 (Lael as boys' name)
Lael by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (560 births, 24% of the file).
2010s was Lael's strongest decade.
560 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Lael births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1910s 25
1910s
25 births
- 1920s 50
1920s
50 births
- 1930s 134
1930s
134 births
- 1940s 125
1940s
125 births
- 1950s 174
1950s
174 births
- 1960s 124
1960s
124 births
- 1970s 144
1970s
144 births
- 1980s 156
1980s
156 births
- 1990s 150
1990s
150 births
- 2000s
2000s
337 births
- 2010s
2010s
560 births
- 2020s
2020s
376 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 560 births (24% of all-time use).
How Lael 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 Lael's total volume
Lael by state
Where Lael concentrates geographically, total births since 1895
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 134 | 5.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 59 | 2.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 55 | 2.3% |
| #4 | Florida | | 36 | 1.5% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 32 | 1.4% |
| #6 | Washington | | 32 | 1.4% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 21 | 0.9% |
| #8 | Maryland | | 18 | 0.8% |
134 of 2,360 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 13 reporting states.
Lael appears in 13 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Lael's data
- Lael's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (560 total births) through the 2020s (376) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Laels (134 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lael
Nearby Names Like Lael
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lael
Compare Lael side by side: Lael vs Laela Lael vs Laelah Lael vs Laetitia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lael
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Lael: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~130 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1895–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Lael 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 August 2026.