Gamaliel
Gamaliel the Elder, or Rabban Gamaliel I, was a leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the early first century AD. He was the son of Simeon ben Hillel and grandson of the great Jewish teacher Hillel the Elder. He fathered Simeon ben Gamliel, who was named for Gamaliel's father, and a daughter, who married a priest named Simon ben Nathanael.
Meaning & Origin of Gamaliel
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Gamaliel the Elder, or Rabban Gamaliel I, was a leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the early first century AD. He was the son of Simeon ben Hillel and grandson of the great Jewish teacher Hillel the Elder. He fathered Simeon ben Gamliel, who was named for Gamaliel's father, and a daughter, who married a priest named Simon ben Nathanael.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Gamaliel
Gamaliel first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1921, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2004, when 56 Gamaliels were born — ranking #2,102 that year. As of 2026, Gamaliel ranks #3,071 for baby boys with 40 births, gradually rising (+7%). In total, more than 2K Gamaliels have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Gamaliel
Phonetically similar names — useful when Gamaliel is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gamaliel
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About the name Gamaliel
Gamaliel is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1921 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Gamaliel's peak popularity came in 2004 when it ranked #1,789. Use the chart and map above to compare Gamaliel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
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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.