Head to head · Boys' names
Azrael vs Tommy
#656 vs #657 in 2025
Azrael is a whisker ahead (#656 vs #657 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Azrael is climbing the charts fast, Tommy is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Azrael and Tommy each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Azrael —, Tommy #671 — Tommy higher
- 1890s: Azrael —, Tommy #505 — Tommy higher
- 1900s: Azrael —, Tommy #328 — Tommy higher
- 1910s: Azrael —, Tommy #350 — Tommy higher
- 1920s: Azrael —, Tommy #219 — Tommy higher
- 1930s: Azrael —, Tommy #98 — Tommy higher
- 1940s: Azrael —, Tommy #76 — Tommy higher
- 1950s: Azrael —, Tommy #102 — Tommy higher
- 1960s: Azrael —, Tommy #118 — Tommy higher
- 1970s: Azrael —, Tommy #161 — Tommy higher
- 1980s: Azrael —, Tommy #229 — Tommy higher
- 1990s: Azrael #8458, Tommy #299 — Tommy higher
- 2000s: Azrael #4798, Tommy #422 — Tommy higher
- 2010s: Azrael #2044, Tommy #683 — Tommy higher
- 2020s: Azrael #762, Tommy #713 — Tommy higher
Tommy stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Azrael | Tommy |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #671 |
| 1890s | — | #505 |
| 1900s | — | #328 |
| 1910s | — | #350 |
| 1920s | — | #219 |
| 1930s | — | #98 |
| 1940s | — | #76 |
| 1950s | — | #102 |
| 1960s | — | #118 |
| 1970s | — | #161 |
| 1980s | — | #229 |
| 1990s | #8458 | #299 |
| 2000s | #4798 | #422 |
| 2010s | #2044 | #683 |
| 2020s | #762 | #713 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Azrael
Not charting outside the US.
Tommy
- Scotland#26
- England & Wales#39
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Azrael
help of God
From the Hebrew elements ʿazar, "to help," and El, "God" — the same pair behind Azriel and Azarel, both of which appear as men's names in the Hebrew Bible.
ʿAzarʾel (Hebrew) → Azriel → Azra'il (Arabic) → Azrael
How it traveled
The name's bones are Hebrew, and its close relatives Azriel and Azarel are recorded in the biblical books of Jeremiah and Chronicles. The Azrael spelling traveled mainly through angelology: the Quran speaks of malak al-mawt, the angel of death, and later Islamic tradition names that angel Azra'il, a form still current as Azrail in Turkish.
Tommy
twin
Thomas comes from Aramaic te'oma, 'twin'. The Gospel of John glosses the apostle's name with the Greek Didymos, which also means twin.
Te'oma → Thomas → Tom → Tommy
How it traveled
Thomas reached Europe as the name of one of the twelve apostles, and the Gospel of John twice explains it for Greek readers as 'the twin'. It was rare in England until the murder of Thomas Becket in the twelfth century made his shrine at Canterbury one of the great pilgrimage sites of Christendom, after which Thomas became one of the most common men's names in the language.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Azrael
AZ-ree-el
AZ-ray-el is also widely heard in the US, and the Turkish and Arabic forms end closer to -ah-EEL. Expect to state your preference more than once.
- Az — The everyday short form, used the way Azriel and Azzam are shortened too.
- Azzy — Informal and affectionate, common in the household and among young children.
- Rael — Takes the back half instead of the front; used as a standalone given name in some Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking places.
- Ray — An anglicized handle drawn from the second syllable; also a long-established given name in its own right.
Tommy
TOM-ee
Stress on the first syllable. One of the rare English names almost no one has to ask about twice, in speech or in spelling.
- Tom — The shorter clip, used both as a nickname for Tommy and as a standalone given name in its own right.
- Tommo — Informal, chiefly British, Irish and Australian; common on sports fields and among friends rather than family.
- Thomas — Works in reverse: many boys registered as Thomas go by Tommy, so the full form is often available as the formal option.
- Tam — The Scottish clip of Thomas, still heard in Scotland; used informally and sometimes as a name on its own.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Azrael if you want…
- a name on the way upup 272 places on the charts in five years
- a newer arrivalAzrael entered the US charts in 1994
Choose Tommy if you want…
- a name holding steadyTommy is holding its place on the charts
- a name that charts abroad tooTommy is on the national lists of Scotland and England & Wales
- a long American recordTommy was already in use when US records began in 1880
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Azrael
Strengths
- Transparent, settled meaning — "help of God" — from elements a parent can point to in Hebrew.
- Exists in Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew and Indonesian forms, so the name is recognizable well beyond English.
- Ready-made short forms: Az and Azzy need no explaining.
To consider
- The angel-of-death association is the first thing many adults will think of, and some will say so out loud. It is not an obscure connection — it is the main route by which the word entered English.
- Popular culture has used it too: Azrael is Gargamel's cat in the Smurfs and a DC Comics character connected to Batman. Neither is unkind, but both may come up.
- Two live pronunciations, AZ-ree-el and AZ-ray-el, and a common misspelling as Azreal, with the vowels flipped.
Tommy
Strengths
- Everyone already knows how to spell it and how to say it, on both sides of the Atlantic.
- Comes with a ready ladder of registers: Thomas for a diploma, Tommy day to day, Tom in one syllable.
- Unbroken presence in American records from the beginning of the count to now, without a fashionable spike to date it.
To consider
- It reads as informal. Some parents register Thomas and use Tommy at home, which keeps a more formal option in reserve for adult life; if you register Tommy, that option isn't there.
- It is strongly represented among older generations, so it may be heard as a name from an earlier era before it is heard as a small boy's name.
- There are stray associations in English: the Thompson submachine gun was nicknamed the tommy gun, British soldiers of the First World War were Tommies, and the surname turns up on clothing labels. None of them tend to attach to an actual person for long.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Azrael and Tommy in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
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- all guides
Where Azrael and Tommy each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Azrael or Tommy — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Azrael or Tommy?
- Azrael, in 2025: Azrael ranked #656 with 421 babies; Tommy ranked #657 with 420 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Azrael or Tommy?
- Azrael. Over the last five years Azrael moved up 272 places; Tommy moved up 87 places.
- Which is the older name, Azrael or Tommy?
- Azrael entered the US charts in 1994; Tommy was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Tommy is the older name.
- How many people are named Azrael and Tommy?
- About 3,200 people named Azrael are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 117,000 people named Tommy are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Azraels or Tommys in the classroom?
- Azrael will almost certainly be the only one in school. Tommy will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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