Gayle
Gayle is a variant spelling of Gail, a short form of the name Abigail.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Gayle
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Gayle is a variant spelling of Gail, a short form of the name Abigail.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Gayle
As a girl name
Gayle first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1891, with 9 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1951: 2,826 births, good for #124 nationwide. The 1950s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 39% of all recorded Gayles. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2024 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 61K Gayles have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Gayle first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1898, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1936: 181 births, good for #406 nationwide. The 1930s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 27% of all recorded Gayles. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1989 (7 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 5K Gayles have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Gayle
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Gayle. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Gayle
Phonetically similar names — useful when Gayle 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 Gayle
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How popular is Gayle in 2026?
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Is Gayle a unisex name?
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About the name Gayle
Gayle is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1891 and has accumulated 61K births in the dataset. Gayle's peak popularity came in 1951 when it ranked #124. Use the chart and map above to compare Gayle's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1951 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "G" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.