Fun Facts About the Name Yael
- More than 9 thousand babies named Yael: U.S. records list 9,701 babies given the name Yael from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 4,498 girls received the name Yael.
What Does the Name Yael Mean?
Yael is a Hebrew name meaning "ibex," the wild mountain goat of the Near East (the Nubian ibex, Capra nubiana). It comes directly from the Hebrew noun ya'el (יָעֵל), the ordinary word for this animal. Some writers link the word to a root suggesting "to ascend" or "to climb," an idea drawn from the ibex's ability to scale steep cliffs, but that is a symbolic association rather than the literal sense of the noun, which simply names the animal.
Yael Name History & Origins
Yael is the name of a woman in the Hebrew Bible, in the Book of Judges. She is the wife of Heber the Kenite, and the narrative describes her killing the Canaanite commander Sisera by driving a tent peg through his head as he slept. The deed is celebrated in the Song of Deborah (Judges 4 - 5), one of the oldest passages of Hebrew poetry. Through this story the name has been carried in Jewish tradition for many centuries.
In English Bibles the figure is usually called Jael, a spelling that reflects older transliteration practice, while Yael reflects the modern Hebrew pronunciation, in which the initial yod is sounded as "y." Both forms refer to the same biblical character. The name stayed in use in Jewish communities and became a common given name in Israel after Hebrew was revived as a spoken language in the twentieth century. In recent decades it has also been used, though less widely, by parents in English-speaking countries.
How Popular is the Name Yael?
Yael recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2023. Its best rank was #777 in 2023.
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 | #1,642 | 127 | 0.0079% |
| 2024 | #1,600 | 131 | 0.0081% |
| 2023 | #1,517 | 142 | 0.0089% |
| 2022 | #1,385 | 166 | 0.0101% |
| 2021 | #1,542 | 137 | 0.0084% |
| 2020 | #1,550 | 137 | 0.0085% |
| 2019 | #1,770 | 116 | 0.0069% |
| 2018 | #1,896 | 106 | 0.0062% |
| 2017 | #1,767 | 119 | 0.0069% |
| 2016 | #1,703 | 126 | 0.0071% |
| 2015 | #1,906 | 107 | 0.0060% |
| 2014 | #1,837 | 111 | 0.0062% |
| 2013 | #1,966 | 101 | 0.0058% |
| 2012 | #1,873 | 108 | 0.0061% |
| 2011 | #1,885 | 107 | 0.0061% |
| 2010 | #1,793 | 115 | 0.0065% |
| 2009 | #1,955 | 107 | 0.0058% |
| 2008 | #2,155 | 94 | 0.0050% |
| 2007 | #2,273 | 86 | 0.0045% |
| 2006 | #2,183 | 89 | 0.0047% |
| 2005 | #2,378 | 75 | 0.0041% |
| 2004 | #2,019 | 92 | 0.0050% |
| 2003 | #2,186 | 80 | 0.0044% |
| 2002 | #2,045 | 85 | 0.0047% |
| 2001 | #1,956 | 89 | 0.0049% |
| 2000 | #1,950 | 87 | 0.0048% |
| 1999 | #2,203 | 69 | 0.0039% |
| 1998 | #2,162 | 67 | 0.0038% |
| 1997 | #2,226 | 62 | 0.0036% |
| 1996 | #1,993 | 71 | 0.0041% |
| 1995 | #2,622 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 1994 | #2,749 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 1993 | #2,266 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 1992 | #2,189 | 62 | 0.0034% |
| 1991 | #2,057 | 67 | 0.0036% |
| 1990 | #2,288 | 56 | 0.0029% |
| 1989 | #2,302 | 52 | 0.0028% |
| 1988 | #2,070 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 1987 | #2,127 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 1986 | #1,864 | 61 | 0.0036% |
| 1985 | #2,437 | 41 | 0.0024% |
| 1984 | #1,885 | 57 | 0.0034% |
| 1983 | #1,886 | 56 | 0.0034% |
| 1982 | #1,898 | 57 | 0.0034% |
| 1981 | #2,304 | 44 | 0.0026% |
| 1980 | #2,245 | 45 | 0.0027% |
| 1979 | #2,475 | 38 | 0.0024% |
| 1978 | #1,937 | 51 | 0.0033% |
| 1977 | #1,856 | 55 | 0.0036% |
| 1976 | #2,097 | 42 | 0.0029% |
| 1975 | #2,410 | 34 | 0.0023% |
| 1974 | #2,394 | 33 | 0.0022% |
| 1973 | #2,688 | 27 | 0.0019% |
| 1972 | #2,449 | 30 | 0.0020% |
| 1971 | #2,735 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 1970 | #3,109 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1969 | #2,452 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 1968 | #1,886 | 41 | 0.0025% |
| 1967 | #2,865 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 1966 | #5,267 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1965 | #4,491 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1964 | #4,352 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #4,532 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #4,259 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1961 | #5,301 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #6,376 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #5,028 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #7,019 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1954 | #6,613 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #818 | 304 | 0.0178% |
| 2024 | #790 | 317 | 0.0185% |
| 2023 | #777 | 328 | 0.0192% |
| 2022 | #994 | 225 | 0.0129% |
| 2021 | #1,033 | 211 | 0.0121% |
| 2020 | #1,012 | 206 | 0.0119% |
| 2019 | #967 | 222 | 0.0124% |
| 2018 | #935 | 225 | 0.0124% |
| 2017 | #1,024 | 197 | 0.0106% |
| 2016 | #1,086 | 182 | 0.0096% |
| 2015 | #1,095 | 178 | 0.0093% |
| 2014 | #914 | 235 | 0.0122% |
| 2013 | #871 | 243 | 0.0128% |
| 2012 | #883 | 238 | 0.0125% |
| 2011 | #1,055 | 179 | 0.0094% |
| 2010 | #924 | 219 | 0.0114% |
| 2009 | #929 | 223 | 0.0112% |
| 2008 | #913 | 226 | 0.0111% |
| 2007 | #939 | 212 | 0.0102% |
| 2006 | #1,024 | 180 | 0.0088% |
| 2005 | #1,047 | 159 | 0.0080% |
| 2004 | #1,140 | 139 | 0.0070% |
| 2003 | #1,281 | 111 | 0.0056% |
| 2002 | #1,816 | 64 | 0.0033% |
| 2001 | #2,927 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2000 | #3,147 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 1999 | #3,028 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1998 | #3,188 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1997 | #4,447 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1996 | #4,870 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1994 | #5,442 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #7,164 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #6,917 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #4,951 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #7,323 | 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 Yael Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual. You hate bondage in any form. You have love of beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You are willing to take spiritual matters on faith instead of subjecting them to mental analysis. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Yael's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yael's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.