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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020202002boysat 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 2002

girls
#11,108
8 births · 1 in 224,610 girls
boys
#314
910 births · 1 in 2,134 boys

Top girls' names in 2002

  1. #1Emily24,470
  2. #2Madison21,774
  3. #3Hannah18,828
  4. #4Emma16,558
  5. #5Alexis15,636
  6. #6Ashley15,344
  7. #7Abigail15,303
  8. #8Sarah14,779
  9. #9Samantha14,671
  10. #10Olivia14,631
  11. #11,108Axel8

Top boys' names in 2002

  1. #1Jacob30,586
  2. #2Michael28,258
  3. #3Joshua25,998
  4. #4Matthew25,154
  5. #5Ethan22,113
  6. #6Andrew22,037
  7. #7Joseph21,920
  8. #8Christopher21,689
  9. #9Nicholas21,390
  10. #10Daniel21,352
  11. #314Axel910
More about 2002

girls

1,796,882 girls got a published name in 2002; 1 in 224,610 of them was named Axel, which outranked 38.6% of the 18,086 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 9.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Axel
  1. #10,246Zyanna9
  2. #10,246Zykiria9
  3. #10,246Zyonna9
  4. #11,108Axel8
  5. #11,108Aalaya8
  6. #11,108Aariel8
  7. #11,108Aarin8
  8. #12,187Aaliayh7
  9. #12,187Aamina7
  10. #12,187Aana7

Tied with 1,078 names at #11,108; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 2001
Risers
  1. 1,168Cadence#2,126#958
  2. 949Lisbeth#1,573#624
  3. 710Ashanti#825#115
  4. 464Elle#1,076#612
  5. 412Nyla#865#453
Fallers
  1. 1,141Citlalli#609#1,750
  2. 748Nallely#772#1,520
  3. 617Dafne#967#1,584
  4. 582Beyonce#700#1,282
  5. 540Mikaila#928#1,468

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

boys

1,941,514 boys got a published name in 2002; 1 in 2,134 of them was named Axel, which outranked 97.5% of the 12,489 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 12.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Axel
  1. #311Jaxon920
  2. #312Quinn914
  3. #313Maximus912
  4. #314Axel910
  5. #315Melvin908
  6. #316Tristen902
  7. #317Nickolas891
Biggest movers since 2001
Risers
  1. 10,021Omarion#10,556#535
  2. 3,583Amarion#4,302#719
  3. 3,370Yahir#3,974#604
  4. 1,466Gael#2,185#719
  5. 1,287Lisandro#2,185#898
Fallers
  1. 546Daunte#968#1,514
  2. 405Imanol#921#1,326
  3. 376Shemar#594#970
  4. 347Jade#958#1,305
  5. 311Jalon#873#1,184

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

See the top 100 for 2002