Joel
Hebrew Yo’el, “Yahweh is God.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Joel appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1967 to 1992. Its biggest year was 1985, when 4,623 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 67 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1981, at No. 65. In 2025 it ranked No. 219 for boys. All told, 282,250 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Joelle (16,640), Joell (2,229), Jowell (806) (total births since 1880)
Explore Joel interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 497 | No. 197 |
| 1890s | 393 | No. 239 |
| 1900s | 428 | No. 284 |
| 1910s | 2,178 | No. 280 |
| 1920s | 3,819 | No. 272 |
| 1930s | 8,689 | No. 134 |
| 1940s | 17,424 | No. 125 |
| 1950s | 27,859 | No. 104 |
| 1960s | 33,832 | No. 80 |
| 1970s | 37,228 | No. 71 |
| 1980s | 43,566 | No. 65 |
| 1990s | 33,804 | No. 94 |
| 2000s | 33,681 | No. 112 |
| 2010s | 25,821 | No. 132 |
| 2020s | 10,436 | No. 207 |
Births and rank shown for boys, 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.