Gail
A short form of Abigail, Hebrew for “my father is joy.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Gail first shows up in the national records in 1881. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1937 to 1961. Its biggest year was 1951, when 9,886 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 36 nationally. All told, 210,698 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Gayle (66,308), Gael (49,752), Gale (32,343), Gaile (903), Gayl (622), Gaelle (504) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Abigail
Explore Gail interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 101 | No. 520 |
| 1890s | 287 | No. 475 |
| 1900s | 291 | No. 559 |
| 1910s | 1,216 | No. 434 |
| 1920s | 1,746 | No. 483 |
| 1930s | 15,854 | No. 73 |
| 1940s | 53,140 | No. 49 |
| 1950s | 85,618 | No. 36 |
| 1960s | 32,877 | No. 90 |
| 1970s | 7,138 | No. 222 |
| 1980s | 2,171 | No. 593 |
| 1990s | 752 | No. 1279 |
| 2000s | 284 | No. 3265 |
| 2010s | 169 | No. 5486 |
| 2020s | 102 | No. 5752 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.