Gabriel
Feminine · “Hebrew gever and el”
Gabriel is given to boys far more often — 395,778 boys against 6,849 girls since 1880. See Gabriel as a boy name
Gabriel is the messenger in all three Abrahamic scriptures. He explains the visions to Daniel, announces the births to Zechariah and Mary, and as Jibril delivers the Quran to Muhammad. One named figure carries the same office across three religions, which no other biblical name does.
How old is the name Gabriel?
Gabriel first appears in US birth records in 1910 — 115 years ago. The typical Gabriel alive today was born around 1996, making them about 29 years old. About 6,600 people named Gabriel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Gabriel most popular?
Gabriel peaked in 2000, reaching #782 nationally. Today it ranks #9457, 8,675 places below that high. See the whole 2000 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Gavriel to Gabriel
The story of Gabriel
Gabriel appears in the Book of Daniel to interpret the visions, and he is the only angel besides Michael named in the Hebrew Bible. In Luke he announces the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and then the birth of Jesus to Mary, which is why the Annunciation is one of the most painted scenes in Western art and why the name is everywhere in Catholic Europe. In Islam he is Jibril, the angel of revelation, who brings the Quran to Muhammad over twenty-three years and who is identified with the Holy Spirit in some readings. The consistency of the role is striking: in all three traditions Gabriel is the one who carries messages between God and people, and the name itself, strength of God, is never the point. What is remembered is the office.
Meaning
Hebrew gever and el, strong one of God
Gabriel is Hebrew Gavriel, joining gever, a strong man, to el, God, usually read as God is my strength or man of God. The female entries in the American record follow the pattern by which French forms and unisex use bring men's names to girls; Gabrielle and Gabriela are the established female forms. The female peak of the bare spelling is 2000.
How the name formed
- Gavriel
- Gabriel
Related forms: Gabrielle · Gabriela · Jibril · Gavriel
Pronouncing Gabriel
GAY-bree-el
Three syllables, stress on the first. French Gabrielle is gab-ree-EL with final stress. Spanish Gabriel is gah-bree-EL.
Nicknames for Gabriel
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1910
- Most girls named
- 2000293 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #782reached in 2000
- Change vs 2023
- −23.1%10 in 2025, from 13
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Gabriel in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Gabrielle in French — related form
- Gabriela in Spanish — related form
- Jibril in Arabic — same name
- Gavriel in Hebrew — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, North Carolina, Texas.
Gabriels among us
people named Gabriel are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 160,727 born in 2025 was named Gabriel
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Kimberli test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Gabriel's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Kimberli climbed just as high around 1968, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Kimberli's path sketches the road Gabriel is walking now.
Gabriel sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Gabriel beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Gabriel in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Gabby and Ellie are both established short forms.
- The name is recognized across three religious traditions.
- Gabrielle and Gabriela are available as female forms.
- The bare spelling is read as male almost everywhere.
- Gabrielle and Gabriela are the established female versions.
- English, French and Spanish stress it differently.
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What they receive
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Gabriel
Feminine · #9457 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Gabriels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 6,600 people named Gabriel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Gabriel in 2025?
- Gabriel ranks #9457 among US girl names in 2025, with 10 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Gabriel?
- About 1 in every 160,727 US girls born in 2025 was named Gabriel — 10 in all.
- Will my child share the name Gabriel with classmates?
- Gabriel will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Gabriel
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Leta#9457 · Inga#9457 · Delphia#9457 · Cammie#9457 · Lisandra#9457 · Amee#9457 · Venecia#9457 · Annetta#9457
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Gabriel? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Gabriel and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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