Axel

#10,917 for girls in 2025, 8 births · #79 for boys in 2025, 4,140 births
Given to boys 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
2023 · 4,523 births
Debut · boys
16 births
In top 100 · boys
8 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
72,459
since 1880

Axel over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201915boysat peak
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#10,9178#794,140
2024#11,1228#784,255
2023#8,48612#714,523
2022#7,28115#764,350
2021#8,02413#764,540
2020#11,0908#724,667
2019#11,3568#844,505
2018#11,4278#944,074
2017#6,53118#1043,789
2016#10,11310#1163,467
2015#8,93112#1233,249
2014#10,12910#1452,806
2013#16,5475#1682,428
2012#1622,482
2011#10,37410#1373,036
2010#13,4487#1871,973
2009#9,97511#2641,319
2008#12,5798#2721,257
2007#10,12911#2881,196
2006#2961,132
2005#10,9219#3141,047
2004#16,0995#325938
2003#346809
2002#11,1088#314910
2001#15,3525#2581,274
2000#361731
1999#799191
1998#795192
1997#838171
1996#860161
1995#917145
1994#955133
1993#965124
1992#911135
1991#845151
1990#898131
1989#951115
1988#1,52548
1987#1,46749
1986#1,29956
1985#1,69836
1984#1,60637
1983#1,86429
1982#2,11125
1981#2,08625
1980#2,05826
1979#1,86729
1978#2,27920
1977#2,00824
1976#1,87326
1975#2,45017
1974#2,35817
1973#2,03620
1972#2,32316
1971#2,12619
1970#1,43534
1969#1,44031
1968#1,65023
1967#2,35212
1966#2,13214
1965#2,08415
1964#2,11415
1963#2,30013
1962#2,18614
1961#1,94818
1960#2,31513
1959#1,86519
1958#1,83819
1957
1956#2,7989
1955#3,5056
1954
1953
1952#2,37611
1951#3,0667
1950#2,01914
1949#2,6069
1948#3,6685
1947#2,6719
1946#2,9197
1945#2,5748
1944#2,6338
1943#2,18212
1942#2,5239
1941#2,4919
1940#3,4595
1939#2,6098
1938#3,1756
1937#2,6808
1936#2,18411
1935#1,83715
1934#2,7428
1933
1932#2,46510
1931#2,8648
1930#1,96415
1929#1,67220
1928#3,6976
1927#1,60323
1926#2,30213
1925#1,24633
1924#1,67522
1923#1,55124
1922#1,59123
1921#1,10141
1920#1,41627
1919#1,62421
1918#1,07940
1917#1,11336
1916#89249
1915#87949
1914#1,15325
1913#1,11221
1912#85427
1911#1,03811
1910#92812
1909#1,0838
1908#1,2176
1907#81511
1906#70912
1905#9198
1904#1,0646
1903#73410
1902#8628
1901#9436
1900#78511
1899#52114
1898#45220
1897#47317
1896#53415
1895#43720
1894#66810
1893#37123
1892#57213
1891#42717
1890#45816
1889#43418
1888#48416
1887#39218
1886#33625
1885#46216
1884#46816
1883#52712
1882#54012
1881#46014
1880#44216
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Axel was already there! It came in at #442, and was given to 16 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1933, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

See more about Axel
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 1 spot since 2024 (#78#79)
  • 7 spots since 2020 (#72#79)
  • 44 spots since 2015 (#123#79)
  • Biggest jump: 574 spots in 1989 (#1,525#951)
  • Biggest drop: 402 spots in 1908 (#815#1,217)
Rise & fade · boys
143 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 2023 at #71 (4,523 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 8 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 8 yrs · run 2018–2025
  • Top 1,000: 68 yrs · run 1989–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 370
  • Highest: 1 in 370 boys born in 2020 were named Axel (0.27%)
  • Latest: 1 in 413 boys born in 2025 (0.24%)
  • Its best rank, #71 in 2023, was only 1 in 378 (0.26%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 2010s
  • 43.9% of all boys named Axel (31,809) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s163#336 (1886)#455
1890s165#371 (1893)#491
1900s86#709 (1906)#913
1910s291#854 (1912)#1,067
1920s232#1,101 (1921)#1,785
1930s89#1,837 (1935)#2,502
1940s81#2,182 (1943)#2,773
1950s85#1,838 (1958)#2,495
1960s168#1,440 (1969)#2,052
1970s222#1,435 (1970)#2,076
1980s446#951 (1989)#1,667
1990s1,534#795 (1998)#878
2000s10,613#258 (2001)#304
2010s31,809#84 (2019)#132
2020s26,475#71 (2023)#75

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Axel in 1915

boys
#879
49 births · 1 in 17,318 boys

Top boys' names in 1915

  1. #1John47,576
  2. #2William38,563
  3. #3James33,773
  4. #4Robert28,737
  5. #5Joseph23,051
  6. #6George22,307
  7. #7Charles21,960
  8. #8Edward15,889
  9. #9Frank15,006
  10. #10Thomas11,490
  11. #879Axel49
More about 1915

boys

848,575 boys got a published name in 1915; 1 in 17,318 of them was named Axel, which outranked 80.0% of the 4,390 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Axel
  1. #868Rueben50
  2. #868Sammy50
  3. #868Waldemar50
  4. #879Axel49
  5. #879Artie49
  6. #879Burley49
  7. #879Burnell49
  8. #893Allison48
  9. #893Arturo48
  10. #893Erling48

Tied with 13 names at #879; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1914
Risers
  1. 691Eston#1,687#996
  2. 565Estill#1,545#980
  3. 545Garth#1,260#715
  4. 474Hiroshi#1,342#868
  5. 439Domingo#1,101#662
Fallers
  1. 674Gilmore#986#1,660
  2. 667Barnett#933#1,600
  3. 526Rose#884#1,410
  4. 517Toivo#855#1,372
  5. 461Sampson#949#1,410

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1915