Fun Facts About the Name Jael
- More than 7 thousand babies named Jael: U.S. records list 7,944 babies given the name Jael from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 3,386 boys received the name Jael.
What Does the Name Jael Mean?
Jael comes from the Hebrew Bible and is derived from the Hebrew word yaʿel (יָעֵל), which names the ibex, a wild mountain goat native to the Middle East. The word describes the animal itself, so the name's literal sense is simply "ibex" or "mountain goat." It is not a compound name built from separate elements, and no widely accepted competing etymology exists.
The related modern Hebrew name Yael is the same word in its current Israeli pronunciation. Jael and Yael are best understood as forms of one name rather than as two names that happen to look alike.
Jael Name History & Origins
Jael is best known from the Book of Judges. There she is the wife of Heber the Kenite. In Judges 4, after the Israelite forces under Barak rout the army of Sisera, Sisera takes refuge in her tent; she gives him milk, covers him, and kills him with a tent peg and a hammer while he sleeps. The victory song in Judges 5, the Song of Deborah, singles her out: "Most blessed of women be Jael."
The name was preserved in Jewish use as a woman's name because of this biblical figure, and it appears in the Hebrew text as Yaʿel. In Christian Europe it was also known through the same scriptural account. Along with other Old Testament names, it entered English use, and it is found in the Netherlands and German-speaking areas in forms such as Jaël. The modern Hebrew form Yael became a common given name in Israel in the twentieth century.
How Popular is the Name Jael?
Jael recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2012. Its best rank was #988 in 2012.
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.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,393 | 157 | 0.0098% |
| 2024 | #1,470 | 148 | 0.0092% |
| 2023 | #1,588 | 132 | 0.0082% |
| 2022 | #1,515 | 143 | 0.0087% |
| 2021 | #1,604 | 131 | 0.0080% |
| 2020 | #1,636 | 127 | 0.0079% |
| 2019 | #1,443 | 154 | 0.0092% |
| 2018 | #1,315 | 173 | 0.0102% |
| 2017 | #1,508 | 147 | 0.0085% |
| 2016 | #1,546 | 145 | 0.0082% |
| 2015 | #1,501 | 152 | 0.0085% |
| 2014 | #1,429 | 159 | 0.0089% |
| 2013 | #1,327 | 177 | 0.0101% |
| 2012 | #1,197 | 206 | 0.0117% |
| 2011 | #1,446 | 156 | 0.0089% |
| 2010 | #1,422 | 161 | 0.0091% |
| 2009 | #1,698 | 131 | 0.0071% |
| 2008 | #1,423 | 167 | 0.0088% |
| 2007 | #1,383 | 175 | 0.0091% |
| 2006 | #1,923 | 105 | 0.0055% |
| 2005 | #2,129 | 87 | 0.0047% |
| 2004 | #2,140 | 84 | 0.0046% |
| 2003 | #1,850 | 100 | 0.0055% |
| 2002 | #1,890 | 94 | 0.0052% |
| 2001 | #2,158 | 76 | 0.0042% |
| 2000 | #1,944 | 87 | 0.0048% |
| 1999 | #2,026 | 77 | 0.0043% |
| 1998 | #2,205 | 65 | 0.0037% |
| 1997 | #2,459 | 53 | 0.0030% |
| 1996 | #2,047 | 68 | 0.0039% |
| 1995 | #2,565 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 1994 | #2,515 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 1993 | #3,122 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 1992 | #2,886 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 1991 | #3,237 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1990 | #3,102 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 1989 | #2,893 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1988 | #3,182 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1987 | #2,800 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1986 | #3,392 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1985 | #3,187 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1984 | #3,175 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 1983 | #3,471 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 1982 | #3,694 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1981 | #3,015 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 1980 | #3,896 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1979 | #2,547 | 36 | 0.0022% |
| 1978 | #4,141 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1977 | #3,956 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1976 | #4,998 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1975 | #3,324 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1974 | #5,134 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #3,688 | 17 | 0.0012% |
| 1972 | #4,624 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1971 | #7,736 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #7,406 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #5,191 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #4,600 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1965 | #6,080 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #3,204 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,317 | 147 | 0.0086% |
| 2024 | #1,363 | 138 | 0.0080% |
| 2023 | #1,293 | 148 | 0.0087% |
| 2022 | #1,460 | 124 | 0.0071% |
| 2021 | #1,328 | 140 | 0.0080% |
| 2020 | #1,183 | 163 | 0.0094% |
| 2019 | #1,348 | 133 | 0.0074% |
| 2018 | #1,369 | 129 | 0.0071% |
| 2017 | #1,325 | 136 | 0.0074% |
| 2016 | #1,301 | 140 | 0.0074% |
| 2015 | #1,364 | 128 | 0.0067% |
| 2014 | #1,380 | 124 | 0.0065% |
| 2013 | #1,130 | 161 | 0.0085% |
| 2012 | #988 | 202 | 0.0107% |
| 2011 | #1,421 | 117 | 0.0062% |
| 2010 | #1,221 | 145 | 0.0076% |
| 2009 | #1,176 | 154 | 0.0078% |
| 2008 | #1,351 | 127 | 0.0062% |
| 2007 | #1,211 | 146 | 0.0070% |
| 2006 | #1,483 | 103 | 0.0050% |
| 2005 | #1,337 | 113 | 0.0057% |
| 2004 | #1,571 | 84 | 0.0042% |
| 2003 | #1,857 | 64 | 0.0032% |
| 2002 | #2,008 | 55 | 0.0028% |
| 2001 | #2,321 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 2000 | #3,465 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1999 | #3,899 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1998 | #3,637 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #3,513 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #5,325 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1995 | #3,139 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1994 | #4,397 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1993 | #4,108 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #5,388 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #5,262 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #7,360 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #6,041 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #4,716 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #4,624 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #4,472 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #5,141 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #6,660 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #6,459 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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.
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How the Name Jael Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are honest, benevolent, brilliant and often inventive, full of high inspirations. You are courageous, honest, determined, original and creative. You are a leader, especially for a cause. Sometimes you do not care to finish what you start, and may leave details to others. You can do well in position of authority, and prospers in intellectual and professional fields. 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.
✦ Jael's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Jael's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.