Unisex name · since 1984
Yael
Yael has 5,207 recorded births since 1984 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2023 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,739 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #817 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,207
- born since 1984
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yael currently ranks #817 among unisex names in America, with 5,207 babies recorded since 1984.
Social Security Administration records show Yael recorded 5,207 times among boys since 1984, holding rank #817 nationally today, ahead of 94% of boys, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1984 to 2025.
- #1,739 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #817 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 5,207 born since 1984
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Yael ranks #1,739 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #817 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 5,207 born since 1984, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1,739 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #817 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,207
- born since 1984
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yael's 5,207 recorded births place it above 96.17% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
27 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Yael compares
5,207 Top 13% higher than 87% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Yael's all-time total is 14x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Yael | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,207 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 329 | 34 | 22,252 |
Yael's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Yael's full recorded timeline at 2008, 80% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 20% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1984, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2023 peak of 329 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Yael popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1984–2025
- Peak year (2023)
- 329
- Annual births at peak, across 42 years of records
Yael popularity over time - girls
4,501 total births recorded since 1954 (Yael as girls' name)
Yael by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (2,118 births, 41% of the file).
2010s was Yael's strongest decade.
2,118 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Yael births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 21
1980s
21 births
- 1990s 99
1990s
99 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,374 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,118 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,595 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 2,118 births (41% of all-time use).
How Yael compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Yael's total volume
Yael by state
Where Yael concentrates geographically, total births since 1984
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,157 | 22.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 847 | 16.3% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 288 | 5.5% |
| #4 | New York | | 267 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Arizona | | 237 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Florida | | 216 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 174 | 3.3% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 154 | 3.0% |
1,157 of 5,207 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 27 reporting states.
Yael appears in 27 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Yael's data
- Yael's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (2,118 total births) through the 2020s (1,595) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Yaels (1,157 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 Yael
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Yael
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Yael: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2023)
Similar record span (~41 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, 1984–2025 (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 Yael 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.