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Ariel

boy name
Origin
Hebrew
Syllables
3
Peak era
1930s/1950s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Ariel and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

lion of God; a Hebrew name also familiar in Filipino families

Goes by Ari, Arik. See all nicknames

The story

Ariel means lion of God in Hebrew. In the Hebrew Bible it can serve as another name for Jerusalem. Literature then carried it in new directions: Shakespeare named the spirit in The Tempest Ariel, and Alexander Pope used the name for a sylph in The Rape of the Lock. In Hebrew and in many Filipino families, Ariel has long been familiar as a masculine name; English use also became strongly feminine, especially after Disney's The Little Mermaid in 1989. The US display rises through the 1970s and 1980s and then holds a high band from the 1990s onward. That combined curve contains more than one sex and more than one cultural route, so it should not be reduced to the mermaid. Ariel is biblical, literary, international, and unisex, with each history adding recognition without erasing the Hebrew root.

More names with stories →

How popular is Ariel around the world?

In the United States, 10,340 babies were named Ariel between 2020 and 2025. In Argentina, 739 newborns were given the name Ariel in 2024.

Ariel is on the official records of the United States, Argentina, Mexico City, Norway, Montevideo, Chile, South Australia, Canada, France, Brazil, England and Wales, Ireland, Poland, Spain and Austria.

Ariel crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record and of a Spanish-speaking one. The full list: English and Spanish

United States

1 in 2,100

In the United States, 10,340 babies were named Ariel between 2020 and 2025.

In 2025 Ariel went to 851 girls and 533 boys in the US Social Security record, one of the few names given to girls and boys in nearly equal numbers. Ariel went to 2,813 US babies in 2015 and 1,384 in 2025, 49% of the earlier figure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Argentina

1 in 900

In Argentina, 739 newborns were given the name Ariel in 2024.

peak 20122024

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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Mexico City City

1 in 1,000

In Mexico City, there were 112 registrations of Ariel in 2022.

2000peak 20062022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (2 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Norway

1 in 1,100 · register 2026

In Norway, 25 girls were given the name Ariel in 2025.

1990peak 2016

share of the girls on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure

People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)

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Montevideo City

1 in 2,100 · 2011

In Montevideo, 12 boys named Ariel were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

1940peak 19582011

share of that year’s births on record

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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Chile

1 in 2,200

In Chile, 76 boys were registered as Ariel in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 19912021

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

See the full list for Chile →

South Australia

1 in 2,300 · 2017

In South Australia, 7 girls were registered as Ariel in 2017.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

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Canada

1 in 2,900

In Canada, 96 girls named Ariel were born in 2024, the 317th most common name among girls that year.
In Canada, 30 boys named Ariel were born in 2024, the 857th most common name among boys that year.

1991peak 20142024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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France

1 in 5,200

In France, about 105 boys named Ariel were born in 2025, the 435th most common name among boys that year.

1900peak 2025

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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Brazil

1 in 5,300

At the 2022 census, 38,341 people in Brazil were named Ariel, the 692nd most common name, with a median age of 15.
Among people named Ariel living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2000s than in any other decade.

1930speak 2000s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 3,217 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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England and Wales

1 in 8,700

In England and Wales, 37 girls named Ariel were born in 2025, the 951st most common name among girls that year.
In England and Wales, 30 boys named Ariel were born in 2025, ranked 1,007th among boys that year.

1996peak 2023

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

See the full list for England and Wales →

Ireland

1 in 9,000

In Ireland, 3 girls named Ariel were born in 2025, the 885th most common name among girls that year.
In Ireland, 3 boys named Ariel were born in 2025, the 829th most common name among boys that year.
The count never rose above 6 in a year, too few to chart.

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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Poland

1 in 12,000

In Poland, 21 boys named Ariel were born in 2025, the 249th most common name among boys that year.

2000peak 2025

share of that year’s name registrations

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

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Spain

1 in 15,000

In Spain, 2,627 residents are named Ariel, the 677th most common name among men, with a mean age of 30.2 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Austria

1 in 38,000

In Austria, 2 boys named Ariel were born in 2025, ranked 1,241st among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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New Zealand

last on record 2019

Ariel is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

1990peak 2017

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

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Puerto Rico

last on record 2022

Ariel is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 285 babies have carried the name there since 1998.

peak 19992025

share of that year’s births on record

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

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Scotland

last on record 2020

Ariel is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

See the full list for Scotland →

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Ariel

Most people given the name Ariel in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Ariel

James Jesus Joseph Jeremiah David Jacob

Where Ariel travels

Jewish American · a beloved unisex Hebrew name

Keep exploring

Nicknames for Ariel · Jewish American baby names · Hebrew baby names · Filipino American baby names · Truly unisex names · Climbers and fallers

Name trails: explore connections from Ariel →

The Ariel deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ariel truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Ariel fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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