Noel
Noel is given to both girls and boys: 157 girls and 635 boys were given it in 2025 (#1,395 among girls’ names and #478 among boys’, #809 among all names counting both); 67,380 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 53,500 Americans named Noel and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (79% of everyone recorded); the median is 33 years old and half are between 15 and 53.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Noel by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Noel mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Noel is “a male given name from French.”
Also “a female given name from French.”
(names): From Noel in the sense of Christmas; given since Middle Ages to children born at Christmastide.
(city in Missouri): Named for brothers Clark Wallace and William Jasper Noel, stockmen and owners of a sawmill.
(community of Nova Scotia, Canada): Named after its most prominent resident, Noël Doiron.
/ˈnəʊ(ə)l/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Noel?
#478 among boys’ names, 2025
Noel fell from #376 in 2015 to #478 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.45 to 0.37 per 1,000.
1,107 babies in 2014, the peak
Noel peaked in 2014, when 1,107 babies were given it (901 boys, #356 among boys’ names). The 792 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 72% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 157 | #1,395 | 635 | #478 |
| 2024 | 150 | #1,464 | 731 | #434 |
| 2023 | 173 | #1,315 | 686 | #451 |
| 2022 | 192 | #1,254 | 743 | #425 |
| 2021 | 178 | #1,290 | 787 | #398 |
| 2020 | 142 | #1,506 | 714 | #417 |
| 2019 | 199 | #1,182 | 791 | #395 |
| 2018 | 192 | #1,221 | 789 | #405 |
| 2017 | 201 | #1,206 | 832 | #386 |
| 2016 | 204 | #1,211 | 846 | #381 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 212 | #1,192 | 862 | #376 |
| 2014 | 206 | #1,191 | 901 | #356 |
| 2013 | 182 | #1,290 | 778 | #383 |
| 2012 | 145 | #1,527 | 682 | #417 |
| 2011 | 165 | #1,390 | 587 | #456 |
| 2010 | 160 | #1,434 | 545 | #478 |
| 2009 | 181 | #1,333 | 555 | #491 |
| 2008 | 178 | #1,364 | 592 | #468 |
| 2007 | 193 | #1,275 | 636 | #440 |
| 2006 | 180 | #1,304 | 607 | #446 |
| 2005 | 182 | #1,248 | 591 | #442 |
| 2004 | 168 | #1,275 | 572 | #454 |
| 2003 | 185 | #1,169 | 514 | #483 |
| 2002 | 192 | #1,100 | 548 | #449 |
| 2001 | 210 | #1,028 | 583 | #422 |
| 2000 | 205 | #1,026 | 616 | #406 |
| 1999 | 199 | #1,024 | 562 | #421 |
| 1998 | 242 | #874 | 495 | #454 |
| 1997 | 265 | #787 | 544 | #423 |
| 1996 | 242 | #830 | 517 | #438 |
| 1995 | 226 | #861 | 521 | #438 |
| 1994 | 224 | #875 | 503 | #447 |
| 1993 | 221 | #876 | 495 | #443 |
| 1992 | 244 | #820 | 510 | #434 |
| 1991 | 269 | #768 | 536 | #422 |
| 1990 | 255 | #791 | 588 | #393 |
| 1989 | 273 | #723 | 561 | #390 |
| 1988 | 315 | #634 | 488 | #409 |
| 1987 | 336 | #587 | 463 | #403 |
| 1986 | 252 | #712 | 473 | #388 |
| 1985 | 302 | #623 | 445 | #407 |
| 1984 | 241 | #694 | 478 | #368 |
| 1983 | 221 | #742 | 462 | #376 |
| 1982 | 179 | #862 | 469 | #370 |
| 1981 | 187 | #838 | 476 | #367 |
| 1980 | 188 | #832 | 458 | #376 |
| 1979 | 185 | #844 | 494 | #357 |
| 1978 | 185 | #810 | 413 | #385 |
| 1977 | 180 | #833 | 445 | #370 |
| 1976 | 159 | #859 | 438 | #365 |
| 1975 | 172 | #802 | 501 | #342 |
| 1974 | 166 | #813 | 506 | #343 |
| 1973 | 175 | #770 | 484 | #348 |
| 1972 | 181 | #768 | 537 | #332 |
| 1971 | 204 | #736 | 643 | #305 |
| 1970 | 200 | #738 | 674 | #299 |
| 1969 | 183 | #751 | 601 | #312 |
| 1968 | 206 | #677 | 639 | #298 |
| 1967 | 245 | #607 | 571 | #309 |
| 1966 | 151 | #812 | 469 | #346 |
| 1965 | 109 | #1,001 | 387 | #399 |
| 1964 | 110 | #1,031 | 372 | #418 |
| 1963 | 87 | #1,177 | 384 | #411 |
| 1962 | 60 | #1,439 | 419 | #396 |
| 1961 | 59 | #1,459 | 432 | #380 |
| 1960 | 78 | #1,245 | 390 | #401 |
| 1959 | 72 | #1,269 | 448 | #373 |
| 1958 | 81 | #1,184 | 446 | #366 |
| 1957 | 78 | #1,200 | 377 | #401 |
| 1956 | 98 | #1,037 | 390 | #380 |
| 1955 | 132 | #847 | 338 | #393 |
| 1954 | 96 | #997 | 351 | #379 |
| 1953 | 98 | #964 | 336 | #376 |
| 1952 | 76 | #1,086 | 338 | #370 |
| 1951 | 90 | #984 | 317 | #381 |
| 1950 | 84 | #998 | 305 | #383 |
| 1949 | 84 | #976 | 342 | #365 |
| 1948 | 112 | #828 | 331 | #372 |
| 1947 | 123 | #777 | 382 | #348 |
| 1946 | 105 | #808 | 334 | #357 |
| 1945 | 98 | #760 | 318 | #336 |
| 1944 | 70 | #923 | 360 | #317 |
| 1943 | 71 | #930 | 397 | #311 |
| 1942 | 94 | #787 | 368 | #319 |
| 1941 | 85 | #785 | 335 | #320 |
| 1940 | 73 | #837 | 374 | #291 |
| 1939 | 57 | #935 | 396 | #277 |
| 1938 | 61 | #909 | 425 | #267 |
| 1937 | 64 | #865 | 375 | #281 |
| 1936 | 46 | #1,031 | 325 | #297 |
| 1935 | 42 | #1,082 | 339 | #297 |
| 1934 | 40 | #1,129 | 329 | #300 |
| 1933 | 32 | #1,283 | 318 | #299 |
| 1932 | 51 | #994 | 300 | #318 |
| 1931 | 36 | #1,217 | 277 | #330 |
| 1930 | 35 | #1,284 | 214 | #393 |
| 1929 | 32 | #1,362 | 241 | #370 |
| 1928 | 30 | #1,458 | 265 | #351 |
| 1927 | 19 | #2,077 | 229 | #396 |
| 1926 | 18 | #2,133 | 205 | #422 |
| 1925 | 20 | #1,992 | 198 | #426 |
| 1924 | 17 | #2,287 | 196 | #436 |
| 1923 | 6 | #4,816 | 187 | #447 |
| 1922 | 12 | #2,913 | 207 | #415 |
| 1921 | 12 | #2,892 | 181 | #457 |
| 1920 | 18 | #2,144 | 206 | #414 |
| 1919 | 18 | #2,040 | 165 | #461 |
| 1918 | 17 | #2,175 | 186 | #431 |
| 1917 | 15 | #2,285 | 192 | #409 |
| 1916 | 16 | #2,099 | 181 | #416 |
| 1915 | 9 | #3,065 | 223 | #360 |
| 1914 | 11 | #2,223 | 136 | #408 |
| 1913 | 5 | #3,561 | 128 | #371 |
| 1912 | 6 | #2,877 | 80 | #436 |
| 1911 | 6 | #2,393 | 43 | #451 |
| 1910 | under 5 | 44 | #404 | |
| 1909 | 5 | #2,453 | 45 | #352 |
| 1908 | under 5 | 47 | #328 | |
| 1907 | under 5 | 32 | #402 | |
| 1906 | under 5 | 33 | #375 | |
| 1905 | under 5 | 39 | #320 | |
| 1904 | under 5 | 22 | #462 | |
| 1903 | under 5 | 28 | #365 | |
| 1902 | under 5 | 22 | #453 | |
| 1901 | under 5 | 16 | #501 | |
| 1900 | under 5 | 18 | #596 | |
| 1899 | under 5 | 21 | #411 | |
| 1898 | under 5 | 23 | #414 | |
| 1897 | under 5 | 13 | #605 | |
| 1896 | under 5 | 12 | #662 | |
| 1895 | under 5 | 17 | #499 | |
| 1894 | under 5 | 23 | #395 | |
| 1893 | under 5 | 11 | #638 | |
| 1892 | under 5 | 16 | #512 | |
| 1891 | under 5 | 9 | #683 | |
| 1890 | under 5 | 10 | #655 | |
| 1889 | under 5 | 13 | #541 | |
| 1888 | under 5 | 13 | #576 | |
| 1887 | under 5 | 5 | #1,016 | |
| 1886 | under 5 | 6 | #929 | |
| 1885 | under 5 | 8 | #745 | |
| 1884 | under 5 | 12 | #563 | |
| 1883 | under 5 | 5 | #1,003 | |
| 1882 | under 5 | 10 | #634 | |
| 1881 | under 5 | 13 | #500 | |
| 1880 | under 5 | 10 | #626 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Noel a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 67,380 Americans recorded as Noel, 23% are girls and 77% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Noel: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Noel, and how old are they?
53,500 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 79% of the 67,380 Americans ever recorded as Noel. The median Noel alive today is 33 years old; half are between 15 and 53.
The 2020 Census counted 61,698 people named Noel (12,762 women and girls, 48,936 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 50,940 born in the U.S. The Census count is 21% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,600 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 6,010 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 9,960 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 11,500 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 12,100 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 12,400 |
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 Noel born?
The states with the most babies named Noel are California, Texas and Florida, with 47% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 142 | #293 | 1.5× |
| Texas | 131 | #314 | 1.4× |
| Florida | 54 | #429 | 1.0× |
| New York | 39 | #445 | 1.4× |
| North Carolina | 34 | #413 | 0.5× |
| Illinois | 27 | #414 | 1.1× |
| Virginia | 24 | #515 | 0.6× |
| Georgia | 23 | #478 | 0.5× |
| Colorado | 19 | #433 | 0.7× |
| Michigan | 18 | #629 | 0.6× |
Where Noel is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Noel is most over-represented in California: since 1910 it was given 1.5 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 boys’ 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 Noel 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 2 names spelled alike, given to 67,804 babies since 1880, Noel is the most given (99% of them). In 2025 it was given to 792 of their 792 babies (100%), again the most given.
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 Noel
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
| Name | Recorded | 1880-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Santos | 21,573 |
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 Noel and names like it
- Compare Noel and NoalBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sNoel peaked in 2014.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Noel since 1910.
- French namesWiktionary’s origin for Noel: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2014The year the most babies were named Noel.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Noel alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with NMost given first.