Girl · #7,984 in 2026

Gayl

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

Gayl is a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:Gayl Jones, African-American writer Gayl King, Canadian darts player Wilhelm von Gayl (1879–1945), German politician Georg Freiherr von Gayl (1850–1927), German general

Current Rank

#7,984

Peak Rank

#1,469 (1952)

Total Babies

607

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1917

First Year

1975

Last Year

1952

Peak Year

#1469

Peak Rank

607

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Gayl

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 Gayl

Gayl first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1917, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1952, when 43 Gayls were born — ranking #1,469 that year. As of 2026, Gayl ranks #7,984 for baby girls with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 607 Gayls have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Gayl

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

Gale
Gail
Gayle
Gael
Galle
Gaile
Goal
Gal
Ghoul
Gill
Gall
Gil

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Gayl

What does the name Gayl mean?

How popular is Gayl in 2026?

In 2026, Gayl ranks #7,984 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Gayl most popular?

Gayl reached its peak popularity in 1952, ranking #1,469 that year with 43 babies given the name.

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

Gayl has historically been most popular in Indiana, Illinois, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Gayl.

Is Gayl a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Gayl?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Gayl include Charlean, Charlesetta, Terryl. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Gayl

Gayl is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1917 and has accumulated 607 births in the dataset. Gayl's peak popularity came in 1952 when it ranked #1,469. Use the chart and map above to compare Gayl'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.