Gail

#8,362 for girls in 2025, 12 births · Last seen for boys in 1989 at #6,941
Given to girls 95.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1951 · 9,886 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
25 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
201,746
since 1881

Gail over time

girls

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

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201896peak #36, 1951girls
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#8,36212—
2024#6,64217—
2023#5,75221—
2022#8,03213—
2021#5,95520—
2020#6,08319—
2019#7,34215—
2018#6,52118—
2017#8,29913—
2016#6,18620—
2015#7,61315—
2014#8,48513—
2013#5,48624—
2012#5,89522—
2011#8,19614—
2010#7,88015—
2009#6,81119—
2008#6,79919—
2007#5,89523—
2006#6,12521—
2005#5,26624—
2004#3,26546—
2003#3,73137—
2002#4,17930—
2001#4,32128—
2000#3,52737—
1999#3,14841—
1998#2,42957—
1997#2,30958—
1996#2,15163—
1995#2,39454—
1994#2,10265—
1993#1,85477—
1992#1,63093—
1991#1,375117—
1990#1,279127—
1989#1,225131#6,9416
1988#1,129136#6,4266
1987#1,064144#4,9688
1986#1,001154#6,7215
1985#838194—
1984#698238#6,3155
1983#627275#5,4846
1982#593306#5,6196
1981#624290#2,68017
1980#605303#5,5256
1979#536350#3,16813
1978#495392#3,40011
1977#484392#2,91014
1976#425475#2,24520
1975#370560#1,83526
1974#346628#1,83225
1973#312746#1,58630
1972#267987#1,45334
1971#2491,184#1,35239
1970#2221,424#1,79424
1969#2021,562#1,30237
1968#1801,802#1,36632
1967#1632,022#1,23137
1966#1512,301#1,19439
1965#1342,859#1,23338
1964#1253,446#1,23639
1963#1054,104#1,05252
1962#1034,380#93965
1961#944,973#88275
1960#905,428#1,00858
1959#756,344#747105
1958#726,608#79089
1957#547,952#738103
1956#498,435#699112
1955#428,972#685115
1954#379,726#694108
1953#399,585#576155
1952#399,760#543167
1951#369,886#505180
1950#428,350#510173
1949#517,225#456210
1948#516,603#468202
1947#497,242#469205
1946#496,227#438209
1945#524,832#459167
1944#564,526#438195
1943#554,810#425213
1942#604,445#404227
1941#683,609#414199
1940#653,621#424190
1939#733,355#384217
1938#773,214#408193
1937#992,635#371218
1936#1012,342#367220
1935#1271,800#393194
1934#1641,176#373212
1933#264541#415171
1932#337354#454156
1931#415239#493135
1930#476198#484151
1929#516172#483147
1928#528173#455176
1927#515186#560122
1926#483206#439189
1925#563163#449179
1924#568165#470172
1923#581154#417208
1922#609142#467175
1921#483204#462177
1920#523181#466171
1919#494184#444176
1918#465206#455170
1917#434217#450158
1916#456196#462151
1915#551135#459143
1914#553102#52588
1913#67858#55261
1912#68953#66840
1911#76632#64423
1910#73733#56925
1909#70632#95110
1908#70930#74413
1907#63135#55919
1906#61134#70912
1905#1,01114#9198
1904#55936#68612
1903#58931#52717
1902#64826#68711
1901#63025#59612
1900#67628#9029
1899#52632#7868
1898#57132#66311
1897#52132#9426
1896#48736#7789
1895#52032#57913
1894#62822#66810
1893#48731#53813
1892#61621#64111
1891#47529#7667
1890#57820—
1889#58919#8786
1888#66315#8157
1887#7889—
1886#65712#8456
1885#52017—
1884#7938—
1883#6928—
1882#6788#7547
1881#8305—
1880——
First appearance
1881

The first year at least five girls were named Gail! It came in at #830, and was given to 5 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1881, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

Where Gail is popular in 1896

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Gail
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 1,720 spots since 2024 (#6,642 → #8,362)
  • 2,279 spots since 2020 (#6,083 → #8,362)
  • 749 spots since 2015 (#7,613 → #8,362)
  • Biggest jump: 400 spots in 1906 (#1,011 → #611)
  • Biggest drop: 452 spots in 1905 (#559 → #1,011)
Rise & fade · girls
70 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1881
  • Peaked 1951 at #36 (9,886 births)
  • Births halved by 1962, 11 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 25 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 25 yrs · run 1937–1961
  • Top 1,000: 104 yrs · run 1906–1985
Share of babies · girls
1 in 182
  • Highest: 1 in 182 girls born in 1951 were named Gail (0.55%)
  • Latest: 1 in 133,939 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1950s
  • 42.4% of all girls named Gail (85,618) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s101#520 (1885)#690
1890s287#475 (1891)#541
1900s291#559 (1904)#677
1910s1,216#434 (1917)#582
1920s1,746#483 (1926)#537
1930s15,854#73 (1939)#213
1940s53,140#49 (1947)#56
1950s85,618#36 (1951)#49
1960s32,877#90 (1960)#135
1970s7,138#222 (1970)#371
1980s2,171#593 (1982)#840
1990s752#1,279 (1990)#2,067
2000s284#3,265 (2004)#4,992
2010s169#5,486 (2013)#7,190
2020s102#5,752 (2023)#6,804

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

Gail in 1896

girls
#487
36 births · 1 in 6,609 girls
boys
#778
9 births · 1 in 13,285 boys

Top girls' names in 1896

  1. #1Mary13,811
  2. #2Anna5,860
  3. #3Helen4,392
  4. #4Margaret4,050
  5. #5Ruth3,905
  6. #6Ethel3,502
  7. #7Elizabeth3,471
  8. #8Florence3,323
  9. #9Marie3,087
  10. #10Emma2,872
  11. #487Gail36

Top boys' names in 1896

  1. #1John8,138
  2. #2William7,747
  3. #3James5,206
  4. #4George4,286
  5. #5Charles3,639
  6. #6Joseph3,051
  7. #7Frank2,845
  8. #8Robert2,719
  9. #9Edward2,296
  10. #10Henry2,183
  11. #778Gail9
More about 1896

girls

237,918 girls got a published name in 1896; 1 in 6,609 of them was named Gail, which outranked 73.3% of the 1,825 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Gail
  1. #478Patricia37
  2. #478Veda37
  3. #478Wilda37
  4. #487Gail36
  5. #487Althea36
  6. #487Anastasia36
  7. #487Bridget36
  8. #499Adelia35
  9. #499Dona35
  10. #499Kitty35

Tied with 11 names at #487; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1895
Risers
  1. ↑ 749Jeanie#1,592 → #843
  2. ↑ 698Vernice#1,426 → #728
  3. ↑ 689Buena#1,592 → #903
  4. ↑ 689Odell#1,592 → #903
  5. ↑ 642Albertina#1,592 → #950
Fallers
  1. ↓ 858Theodosia#725 → #1,583
  2. ↓ 794Dagmar#622 → #1,416
  3. ↓ 725Carl#858 → #1,583
  4. ↓ 691Palma#725 → #1,416
  5. ↓ 690Adline#893 → #1,583

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

boys

119,565 boys got a published name in 1896; 1 in 13,285 of them was named Gail, which outranked 38.5% of the 1,266 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 35.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Gail
  1. #722Travis10
  2. #722Westley10
  3. #722Willam10
  4. #778Gail9
  5. #778Alf9
  6. #778Arley9
  7. #778Artie9
  8. #826Algie8
  9. #826Arlington8
  10. #826Asbury8

Tied with 47 names at #778; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1895
Risers
  1. ↑ 533Hobert#795 → #262
  2. ↑ 528Cicero#1,079 → #551
  3. ↑ 528Earley#1,079 → #551
  4. ↑ 516Tomas#978 → #462
  5. ↑ 492Bryant#872 → #380
Fallers
  1. ↓ 572Talmage#529 → #1,101
  2. ↓ 545Bernie#556 → #1,101
  3. ↓ 545Mathias#556 → #1,101
  4. ↓ 522Orlando#579 → #1,101
  5. ↓ 522Rogers#579 → #1,101

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

See the top 100 for 1896 →