Yael
Meaning
“'ibex, mountain goat' (Hebrew Yael)”
Say it: yah-EL
The story
Yael is the Hebrew form of Jael, from the Hebrew Yael meaning "ibex, mountain goat", and the Old Testament bearer is the wife of Heber the Kenite, who defeats Sisera, the fleeing Canaanite captain, in one of the bluntest scenes in the Book of Judges. The American record runs on both sides of the ledger: a girls' line from about 18 in the 1950s to about 1,120 in the 2010s, and a boys' line that started later and grew faster, about 1,370 in the 2000s and about 2,120 in the 2010s. This decade holds about 840 girls and about 1,600 boys so far. A sure-footed animal in the meaning, a decisive woman in the story, and one spelling walking both sides of the record at once.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Yael peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
135 people · the #33,416 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 24
Among people named Yael living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Yael
Most people given the name Yael in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Yael deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Yael 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 Yael fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Yael travels
Jewish American · a beloved modern Israeli-Hebrew name
Keep exploring
Names like Yael · Jewish American baby names · Hebrew baby names · Short names
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