Boy · #79 in 2026

Axel

Name: Popularity of the name Axel in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Axel, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Axel is a Scandinavian, German, French, and Dutch masculine given name. In Estonia, Denmark, and Norway the spelling Aksel is more common. The Finnish form of the name is Akseli, while a French feminine form is Axelle. Axel is sometimes used as a surname.

Current Rank

#79

Peak Rank

#71 (2020)

Total Babies

77K

5-Yr Trend

Stable

2001

First Year

2026

Last Year

2017

Peak Year

#6527

Peak Rank

221

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Axel

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Axel

Axel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 16 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2020, when 4,666 Axels were born — ranking #72 that year. As of 2026, Axel ranks #79 for baby boys with 4,206 births, holding steady (0%). In total, more than 77K Axels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Axel

Phonetically similar names — useful when Axel is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Axle
Axl
Aksel
Axal
Axil
Axile
Axelle
Excell
Exel
Ixl
Xel
Oxal

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Axel

What does the name Axel mean?

How popular is Axel in 2026?

In 2026, Axel ranks #79 among boys' names in the U.S., with 4,206 babies given the name that year.

When was Axel most popular?

Axel reached its peak popularity in 2020, ranking #71 that year with 4,666 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Axel most popular?

Axel has historically been most popular in Delaware, District of Columbia, Nevada. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Axel.

Is Axel a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Axel is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Axel?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Axel include Allen, Mitchell, Antonio. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Axel

Axel is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 77K births in the dataset. Axel's peak popularity came in 2020 when it ranked #71. Use the chart and map above to compare Axel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.