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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201899peak #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.

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 1899

girls
#526
32 births · 1 in 7,282 girls
boys
#786
8 births · 1 in 13,276 boys

Top girls' names in 1899

  1. #1Mary13,172
  2. #2Anna5,115
  3. #3Helen5,048
  4. #4Margaret4,249
  5. #5Ruth3,912
  6. #6Florence3,314
  7. #7Elizabeth3,287
  8. #8Marie3,156
  9. #9Ethel2,999
  10. #10Lillian2,703
  11. #526Gail32

Top boys' names in 1899

  1. #1John6,990
  2. #2William6,086
  3. #3James4,597
  4. #4George4,018
  5. #5Charles3,147
  6. #6Joseph2,679
  7. #7Robert2,609
  8. #8Frank2,550
  9. #9Edward1,901
  10. #10Henry1,831
  11. #786Gail8
More about 1899

girls

233,022 girls got a published name in 1899; 1 in 7,282 of them was named Gail, which outranked 71.4% of the 1,842 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Gail
  1. #514Ray33
  2. #514Retha33
  3. #514Wilda33
  4. #526Gail32
  5. #526Beth32
  6. #526Eve32
  7. #526Garnet32
  8. #537Charity31
  9. #537Diana31
  10. #537Donnie31

Tied with 10 names at #526; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1898
Risers
  1. 972Tula#1,700#728
  2. 865Josefina#1,700#835
  3. 822Lempi#1,700#878
  4. 822Villa#1,700#878
  5. 774Fae#1,502#728
Fallers
  1. 946Rosia#650#1,596
  2. 710Lelar#886#1,596
  3. 676Tinnie#920#1,596
  4. 676Tracy#920#1,596
  5. 633Alena#963#1,596

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

boys

106,211 boys got a published name in 1899; 1 in 13,276 of them was named Gail, which outranked 34.5% of the 1,200 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Gail
  1. #714Williams9
  2. #714Williard9
  3. #714Winston9
  4. #786Gail8
  5. #786Agnes8
  6. #786Antone8
  7. #786Asbury8
  8. #857Alice7
  9. #857Allison7
  10. #857Alonza7

Tied with 70 names at #786; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1898
Risers
  1. 640Rogers#1,121#481
  2. 600Edna#1,121#521
  3. 545Giles#1,002#457
  4. 508Sarah#1,121#613
  5. 461Thaddeus#885#424
Fallers
  1. 566Jason#485#1,051
  2. 564Fitzhugh#364#928
  3. 508Oran#543#1,051
  4. 493Wilber#435#928
  5. 443Hosea#485#928

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

See the top 100 for 1899