Zael
Masculine
Zael is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 673 boys against 5 girls since 1880.
Zael is one of the newer names in American records — a short, four-letter arrival that shares its ending with Uriel, Israel and Ángel, names carried for centuries. It is strongest in Texas, California and Florida, where that -el ending has long been at home in both English and Spanish. Two syllables, no silent letters, and it lands on the same bright note whichever language you say it in.
How old is the name Zael?
Zael first appears in US birth records in 2004 — 21 years ago. The typical Zael is a kid of about 3 — this name's wave is very recent. About 700 people named Zael are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Zael most popular?
Zael peaked in 2025, reaching #1376 nationally. Today it ranks #1376, exactly where it peaked. See the whole 2025 chart.
Zael appears on this list:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Zael
Picture the ending first. -el closes some of the oldest boys' names still in daily use — Uriel, Gabriel, Israel, Ángel — and in Texas, California and Florida those names have been called across playgrounds and church halls for generations. Zael arrives into that company with only four letters, front-loaded with the Z that English still hears as new. So it reads two ways at once: an ending that is centuries deep, and a beginning that has only just started appearing on birth certificates. That combination is the whole story of this name so far — recent, but not unfamiliar to the ear it lands on.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No meaning has been established for Zael. What is documented is its shape and its timing: it appears in US records only in the current century, and it belongs to the large family of boys' names ending in -el, an ending that in Hebrew names carries the sense of God. Whether Zael was formed from that pattern, clipped from a longer name, or built simply for its sound, the record does not say.
Pronouncing Zael
ZAY-el
Also said zah-EL, with the stress on the second syllable, closer to the Spanish pronunciation of names like Azael. Both are in use; whichever you choose, expect to say it once for new people and then be understood.
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
- 2004
- Most boys named
- 2025134 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1376reached in 2025
- Change vs 2024
- +50.6%134 in 2025, from 89
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.
Zael in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Zaels among us
people named Zael are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 12,747 born in 2025 was named Zael
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 Cleavon test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Zael's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Cleavon climbed just as high around 1973, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Cleavon's path sketches the road Zael is walking now.
Zael is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Zael is headed
Zael looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 35% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Zael beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Zael in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Four letters, spelled the way it sounds — most people can write it down after hearing it once.
- The -el ending is already familiar from long-established names like Uriel, Gabriel and Israel, so it does not sound invented.
- Works in both English and Spanish mouths, which matters in the states where it is most used.
- A child named Zael is very unlikely to share the name with a classmate.
- No settled meaning exists. If a documented meaning matters to you, this name cannot give you one — only its shape and its family of look-alikes.
- Two pronunciations circulate, ZAY-el and zah-EL. Pick the one you want and be ready to correct gently, including within your own extended family.
- Expect it to be heard as Zale, Zayn or Zeal on the phone, and to be typed wrong occasionally.
- Because the name's wave is so recent, almost everyone carrying it right now is a small child — there are no grown Zaels yet for people to picture. That changes on its own with time.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Zael to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Zael? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Zael
Masculine · #1376 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Zaels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Zael are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Zael in 2025?
- Zael ranks #1376 among US boy names in 2025, with 134 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Zael?
- About 1 in every 12,747 US boys born in 2025 was named Zael — 134 in all.
- Will my child share the name Zael with classmates?
- Zael will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Zael
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kashmir#1376 · Thorin#1376 · Zabdiel#1376 · Coen#1376 · Kamryn#1376 · Baron#1370 · Jakob#1370 · Perry#1370
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Zael? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Zael and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
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
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle