Boy · #12,323 in 2026

Yale

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

Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. It is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution.

Current Rank

#12,323

Peak Rank

#1,312 (1929)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1908

First Year

2022

Last Year

1929

Peak Year

#1312

Peak Rank

Total Count

109

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Yale

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 Yale

Yale first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1908, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1929, when 29 Yales were born — ranking #1,312 that year. As of 2026, Yale ranks #12,323 for baby boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 1K Yales have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1900s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Yale

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

Yael
Yell
Yall
Yule
Ial
Ule
Yal
Yowl
Youll
Yle
Yel
Yelle

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Yale

What does the name Yale mean?

How popular is Yale in 2026?

In 2026, Yale ranks #12,323 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Yale most popular?

Yale reached its peak popularity in 1929, ranking #1,312 that year with 29 babies given the name.

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

Yale has historically been most popular in New York, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Yale.

Is Yale a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Yale?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Yale include Wilma, Lateef, Elva. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Yale

Yale is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1908 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Yale's peak popularity came in 1929 when it ranked #1,312. Use the chart and map above to compare Yale'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.