NameRealm
Gael

Gael: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“Gaelic person”
Origin
Celtic
Say it
GUY-ell · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys (98% of all uses)

From the ethnonym Gael, referring to a Gaelic-speaking person. It is also used as the French form of the Breton name Gaël, linked to the same ethnic term.

Irish namesScottish namesFrench namesSpanish namesInternational namesShort names

How popular is Gael?

20241,160 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Gael in 20243,862

2024 rank#89 boys

Peak year2024

Total US babies since 188045,866

Gael is rising: use over the last five years is 2.4× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Gael

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Arthurmeaning uncertain · Celtic
  • Alanuncertain; possibly little rock or handsome · Celtic
  • Tristantumult; outcry · Celtic
  • Bryanhigh, noble · Celtic
  • Brycespeckled · Celtic
  • Kanewarrior · Celtic
  • Allenlittle rock; handsome · Celtic
  • Melvinchieftain · Celtic

Gael questions

What does the name Gael mean?

Gael means "Gaelic person". It comes from Celtic. From the ethnonym Gael, referring to a Gaelic-speaking person. It is also used as the French form of the Breton name Gaël, linked to the same ethnic term.

Is Gael a boy or girl name?

Gael is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Gael?

3,862 US babies were named Gael in 2024. Its peak year was 2024.

How do you pronounce Gael?

Gael is usually pronounced GUY-ell.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.