Joel
How to say it: JOHL · /ˈdʒoʊl/
From Hebrew meaning 'Yahweh is God'; a biblical prophet name from the Old Testament.
Joel was the 239th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 1,633 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1980s, its births are down about 37% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #277 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #239 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 1,633 |
| Share of births | 1 in 2,030 |
| Peak decade | 1980s |
| Change over 10 years | −37% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #277 |
| In France, 2025 | #719 among boys’ names, 45 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Higher in the 1980s, Joel has grown quieter over time. Now well below that mark, continued easing appears probable.
What goes with it
A compact biblical choice, Joel sounds calm and steady. Jonah sits nicely beside it in style.
Middle names that flow with Joel →
Honouring a Joel in the family
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Joel is about 1 in 85.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish.
In France: #719 for boys in 2025.
England and Wales: #223.
Famous people named Joel
- Joel McHale (born 1971)American actor and comedian
- Joel Kinnaman (born 1979)Swedish-American actor
- Joel Campbell (born 1992)Costa Rican footballer
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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