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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201956peak #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 1956

girls
#49
8,435 births · 1 in 238 girls
boys
#699
112 births · 1 in 18,887 boys

Top girls' names in 1956

  1. #1Mary61,741
  2. #2Debra48,324
  3. #3Linda48,084
  4. #4Deborah47,834
  5. #5Susan46,558
  6. #6Patricia43,329
  7. #7Karen40,052
  8. #8Cynthia32,339
  9. #9Barbara32,302
  10. #10Donna29,852
  11. #49Gail8,435

Top boys' names in 1956

  1. #1Michael90,691
  2. #2James84,897
  3. #3Robert83,924
  4. #4David81,652
  5. #5John80,804
  6. #6William58,991
  7. #7Richard52,915
  8. #8Mark48,828
  9. #9Thomas44,836
  10. #10Steven38,413
  11. #699Gail112
More about 1956

girls

2,007,703 girls got a published name in 1956; 1 in 238 of them was named Gail, which outranked 99.3% of the 6,891 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Gail
  1. #46Ann8,990
  2. #47Paula8,925
  3. #48Julie8,574
  4. #49Gail8,435
  5. #50Jane8,241
  6. #51Bonnie8,133
  7. #52Joan8,080
Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. 993Sheena#1,839#846
  2. 770Glendora#1,733#963
  3. 684Leesa#1,209#525
  4. 543Marisa#1,074#531
  5. 537Dani#1,383#846
Fallers
  1. 513Sheilah#663#1,176
  2. 481Jeryl#768#1,249
  3. 344Jacalyn#496#840
  4. 325Roni#536#861
  5. 314Florine#984#1,298

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

boys

2,115,302 boys got a published name in 1956; 1 in 18,887 of them was named Gail, which outranked 84.3% of the 4,455 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 31.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Gail
  1. #694Gustavo113
  2. #694Noe113
  3. #694Randel113
  4. #699Gail112
  5. #699Brooks112
  6. #699Del112
  7. #699Les112
  8. #703Chip111
  9. #703Lenny111
  10. #705Alden110

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1955
Risers
  1. 1,847Jace#2,764#917
  2. 678Rich#1,572#894
  3. 590Broderick#1,273#683
  4. 559Elvis#921#362
  5. 513Tracey#1,419#906
Fallers
  1. 351Adolphus#906#1,257
  2. 336Randolf#949#1,285
  3. 279Cordell#792#1,071
  4. 272Rudolfo#885#1,157
  5. 269Aurelio#949#1,218

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

See the top 100 for 1956