Boys' name · since 2004

Zael

Zael has 673 recorded births since 2004 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2025 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#6,606 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,381 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
673
born since 2004
2020s
peak decade

673 babies have been named Zael since 2004, making it today's #1381 boys' name.

Zael has 673 recorded births among boys since 2004, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1381 as of the latest data, more common than 90% of boys, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2004 to 2025.

  • #6,606 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #1,381 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 673 born since 2004
  • 2020s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zael ranks #6,606 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,381 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 673 born since 2004, peaking in the 2020s.

#6,606 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#1,381 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
673
born since 2004
2020s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%90%
Zael vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Zael's 673 recorded births place it above 85.47% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

9 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

9 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.

How Zael compares

673 Top 38% higher than 62% 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

Zael's all-time total is 82% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Zael Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 673 369 358,536
Peak-year births 134 34 22,252

Zael's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Splitting Zael's full recorded timeline at 2015, 86% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 14% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 2005, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2025 peak of 134 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.

Zael popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2004–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2025)
134
Annual births at peak, across 22 years of records
050100150 20042007201020132016201920222025 134

Zael popularity over time - girls

5 total births recorded since 2025 (Zael as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 5 births
5 2025 5

Zael by decade

2020s is the heaviest window (445 births, 66% of the file).

2020s was Zael's strongest decade.

445 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 66% of all-time use.

Zael births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2020s at 445 births (66% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Zael 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 Zael's total volume

Zael vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%5%10%15%20%25% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -32, 11.3%-28, 10.1%-46, 4.6%-54, 6.2%-112, 3.3%-33, 7.1%-64, 3.9%-62, 5.2%-69, 4.7%-22, 12.1%-146, 6.7%-36, 6.2%-83, 6.6%-34, 6.7%-48, 4.1%Zael-22, 19.9%Zael
Zael vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Zael by state

Where Zael concentrates geographically, total births since 2004

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Zael
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
104 15.5%
#2 California
77 11.4%
#3 Florida
32 4.8%
#4 New York
28 4.2%
#5 Arizona
22 3.3%
#6 New Jersey
17 2.5%
#7 Massachusetts
10 1.5%
#8 Pennsylvania
6 0.9%
Texas share of Zael's total US births 15.5%
Even split

104 of 673 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 9 reporting states.

Zael appears in 9 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Zael?
Since 2004, Social Security records show 673 babies named Zael. Across the full SSA archive it ranks #6,606 of 45,481 boys' names by total births. In 2025, it holds #1,381 of 13,930 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2025, with 134 births.
Where does Zael sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Zael ranks #6,606 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,381 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Zael most popular?
Zael was most popular in the 2020s decade with 445 total births. The single peak year was 2025.
Where is Zael most popular?
The top states for the name Zael are Texas (104 births), California (77 births), Florida (32 births).
How long has the name Zael been used?
Zael has been recorded in Social Security data since 2004, spanning 22 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Zael?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Zaedyn, Zaeden, Zaelyn, Zaeem, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Zael's data

  • Texas records the most Zaels (104 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Zael

Nearby Names Like Zael

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Zael

Names with a similar popularity rank to Zael

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Zael: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 2004–2025 (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 Zael 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.