Arael Name Meaning & Historical Trends

Arael

Pronunciation: AIR-ee-ul / ah-rah-EL

Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#9,788
TREND
780

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Arael in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Arael

  • 98 babies named Arael: U.S. records list 98 babies given the name Arael from 1880 through 2025.

What Does the Name Arael Mean?

Arael is a name of uncertain meaning, used mainly in angel lore and in modern lists of angel names. It is often explained as a variant of the Hebrew Ariel, from ari ('lion') and El ('God'), which would give the literal sense 'lion of God.' A less common explanation links it instead to Uriel, whose Hebrew first element is associated with light, giving 'light of God.' Because the name's own early forms are not documented, neither derivation is certain, and a resemblance in sound does not by itself show that the names share an origin.

Arael Name History & Origins

Arael belongs to the large family of angel names formed with the Hebrew element El ('God'), the same ending found in Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. Names of this kind accumulated in Jewish and Christian angel traditions and in later occult writing, and Arael is recorded in modern reference works that gather such names.

The name's best-known modern appearance is in fiction: Arael is the name of an Angel in the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995 - 96). A well-known literary use of this kind shows how the name has circulated, but it does not by itself establish the name's origin or its earliest recorded form.

How Popular is the Name Arael?

Arael has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2005. Its best rank was #8,352 in 2005.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

Explore More Lists with Name Arael

Most Popular Boy Names That Start with A

See List of Most Popular Boy Names Starting with A

Short Boy Names That Start with A

Discover Short Boy Names Starting with A

How the Name Arael Shapes Your Personality and Life?

Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.

You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.

✦ Arael's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Arael's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
Explore Insights & Tips

Name Search