Unisex · #10,889 in 2026

Tal

Tal is a given name and a surname of Hebrew origin meaning "dew". It is a popular name in Israel for boys and girls.

  • Hebrew
Current Rank
#10,889
Peak Rank
#813 (1963)
Total Babies
1K
5-Yr Trend
+10%
👧 Girl peak #4,121 (543 total)
👦 Boy peak #813 (1K total)
👦As Boy Name
1937
First Year
2024
Last Year
1963
Peak Year
#813
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
71
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
1963
First Year
2019
Last Year
1989
Peak Year
#4121
Peak Rank
543
Total Count
48
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Tal

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

Tal is a given name and a surname of Hebrew origin meaning "dew". It is a popular name in Israel for boys and girls.

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Hebrew

The Story of Tal

As a girl name

Tal first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1963, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1989: 23 births, good for #4,121 nationwide. About 32% of every Tal on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Tal last appeared in the published SSA data in 2019, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 543 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.

As a boy name

American parents first put Tal on the record books as a boy name in 1937, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1963, when 87 Tals were born — ranking #813 that year. About 20% of every Tal on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Tal last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1930s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Tal

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

  • Taal
  • Tolle
  • Tahl
  • Ptal
  • Tall
  • Towel
  • Tol
  • Towle
  • Taul
  • Tell
  • Tale
  • Tail

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tal

What does the name Tal mean?
Tal is a given name and a surname of Hebrew origin meaning "dew". It is a popular name in Israel for boys and girls.
What is the origin of the name Tal?
Tal has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Hebrew.
How popular is Tal in 2026?
In 2026, Tal ranks #10,889 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.
When was Tal most popular?
Tal reached its peak popularity in 1963, ranking #813 that year with 87 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Tal most popular?
Tal has historically been most popular in Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Tal.
Is Tal a unisex name?
Yes — Tal is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 30% of Tals assigned female and 70% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Tal?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Tal include Maury, Darell, Sabastian. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Tal

Tal is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1937 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Tal's peak popularity came in 1963 when it ranked #813. Use the chart and map above to compare Tal'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.