Gail: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “father rejoices”
- Origin
- English
- Say it
- GAYL · 1 syllable
- Used for
- Girls (96% of all uses)
Usually a short form of Abigail, from Hebrew Avigayil. It has also been used as an independent given name in English.
How popular is Gail?
Babies named Gail in 202417
Peak year1951
Total US babies since 1880210,681
Gail is steady now but far below its 1951 peak.
Names like Gail
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
Gail questions
What does the name Gail mean?
Gail means "father rejoices". It comes from English. Usually a short form of Abigail, from Hebrew Avigayil. It has also been used as an independent given name in English.
Is Gail a boy or girl name?
Gail is mainly a girl's name in US records (96% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Gail?
17 US babies were named Gail in 2024. Its peak year was 1951.
How do you pronounce Gail?
Gail is usually pronounced GAYL.
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.