Gale

Last seen for girls in 2023 at #15,194 · #6,446 for boys in 2025, 13 births
Given to girls 61.5% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1957 · 1,210 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
19,906
since 1893

Gale over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201954peak #244, 1957peak #321, 1939girlsboys
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#6,44613
2024#6,46913
2023#15,1945#5,92715
2022#10,8636
2021
2020#9,5547
2019#12,4487#9,7567
2018#6,03614
2017#15,9025#7,54610
2016#8,8168
2015#8,7448
2014#8,1309
2013#14,5826#8,7898
2012
2011#14,8246
2010
2009
2008#12,5535
2007#9,7887
2006
2005#11,8348#11,4725
2004
2003#8,6437
2002#10,6675
2001
2000#15,0315#7,4168
1999#12,6886
1998#10,1228
1997#8,1106
1996#13,5185#7,9716
1995#10,5147
1994#13,4305#5,45210
1993#4,44713
1992#10,4797#6,1288
1991#8,5889#5,09610
1990#7,30311#5,8238
1989#8,0379#4,01713
1988#7,6919#4,7869
1987#5,31214#4,5739
1986#4,34718#5,3327
1985#3,85221#3,80511
1984#6,29110#2,95615
1983#3,24225#3,63011
1982#2,64535#3,28213
1981#4,00519#1,99627
1980#2,86631#2,53619
1979#3,07827#2,46519
1978#2,57233#2,47318
1977#2,42336#2,27020
1976#2,09941#2,05423
1975#1,68956#1,63031
1974#1,49965#1,19848
1973#1,38871#1,18648
1972#1,14196#1,36438
1971#1,17697#1,02663
1970#979128#1,13253
1969#826155#92068
1968#791160#1,00654
1967#669206#89365
1966#621234#89565
1965#640234#82081
1964#581290#79989
1963#538324#79591
1962#539329#78694
1961#446478#769101
1960#393587#691129
1959#319852#730110
1958#2721,052#660136
1957#2441,210#619154
1956#2551,077#543193
1955#2601,030#517199
1954#2591,015#453254
1953#264947#438263
1952#283820#381324
1951#275814#375329
1950#301662#372333
1949#319591#380314
1948#314601#361349
1947#271796#352377
1946#310566#370305
1945#321447#351287
1944#353382#354283
1943#348425#351302
1942#369365#351298
1941#365338#341287
1940#323389#323307
1939#392288#321291
1938#552152#324292
1937#556147#322284
1936#597122#344250
1935#587122#351244
1934#75678#336262
1933#1,10240#372213
1932#1,09742#372224
1931#1,75020#435169
1930#1,43429#418199
1929#1,41929#456168
1928#1,27136#445181
1927#1,27838#380241
1926#1,26238#436192
1925#1,53529#433190
1924#1,64327#384243
1923#1,42832#390232
1922#1,64626#461180
1921#1,20541#422205
1920#1,31235#457176
1919#1,60425#494145
1918#1,75422#474155
1917#1,77320#521123
1916#1,44526#537114
1915#1,52323#550104
1914#1,60317#52089
1913#2,3318#56459
1912#1,9819#64942
1911#1,45011#66722
1910#1,9357#92812
1909#1,6078#55822
1908#1,4399#58519
1907#66415
1906
1905#1,5387#74111
1904#1,0646
1903#65612
1902#7949
1901#63711
1900#1,23110#83610
1899
1898#1,0026
1897#1,3856#58413
1896#1,5835
1895#9786
1894#59412
1893#1,4375#61511
1892
1891
1890#9945
1889
1888#1,0315
1887#8196
1886
1885
1884
1883#8925
1882
1881
1880
First appearance
1893

The first year at least five girls were named Gale! It came in at #1,437, and was given to 5 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1893–1896, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.

See more about Gale
Momentum · girls
Faded out
  • Not published in 2025; last seen 2023
  • Biggest jump: 346 spots in 1934 (#1,102#756)
  • Biggest drop: 197 spots in 1971 (#979#1,176)
Rise & fade · girls
64 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1893
  • Peaked 1957 at #244 (1,210 births)
  • Births halved by 1960, 3 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 37 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 37 yrs · run 1934–1970
Share of babies · girls
1 in 1,690
  • Highest: 1 in 1,690 girls born in 1957 were named Gale (0.06%)
  • Latest: 1 in 320,916 girls born in 2023 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1950s
  • 47.6% of all girls named Gale (9,479) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 2020
  • Mostly girls until 2019, mostly boys since
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1890s16#1,385 (1897)#1,468
1900s34#1,231 (1900)#1,454
1910s168#1,445 (1916)#1,740
1920s331#1,205 (1921)#1,400
1930s1,040#392 (1939)#882
1940s4,900#271 (1947)#329
1950s9,479#244 (1957)#273
1960s2,997#393 (1960)#604
1970s650#979 (1970)#1,804
1980s191#2,645 (1982)#4,829
1990s58#7,303 (1990)#10,830
2000s13#11,834 (2005)#13,433
2010s24#12,448 (2019)#14,439
2020s5#15,194 (2023)#15,194

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.

Gale in 1954

girls
#259
1,015 births · 1 in 1,913 girls
boys
#453
254 births · 1 in 8,027 boys

Top girls' names in 1954

  1. #1Mary68,019
  2. #2Linda55,371
  3. #3Deborah54,674
  4. #4Patricia49,149
  5. #5Susan47,162
  6. #6Debra45,896
  7. #7Barbara36,368
  8. #8Karen32,456
  9. #9Nancy30,270
  10. #10Cynthia27,615
  11. #259Gale1,015

Top boys' names in 1954

  1. #1Michael88,568
  2. #2Robert86,331
  3. #3James86,311
  4. #4John81,168
  5. #5David79,556
  6. #6William61,426
  7. #7Richard57,042
  8. #8Thomas47,159
  9. #9Gary37,920
  10. #10Charles37,463
  11. #453Gale254
More about 1954

girls

1,941,915 girls got a published name in 1954; 1 in 1,913 of them was named Gale, which outranked 96.1% of the 6,625 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Gale
  1. #256Hazel1,036
  2. #257Florence1,034
  3. #258Claire1,031
  4. #259Gale1,015
  5. #260Alma1,013
  6. #261Francine1,004
  7. #262Betsy1,003
Biggest movers since 1953
Risers
  1. 1,699Sherree#2,699#1,000
  2. 1,434Sabrina#2,236#802
  3. 932Valinda#1,738#806
  4. 748Sheree#1,071#323
  5. 421Sherie#1,248#827
Fallers
  1. 396Enola#948#1,344
  2. 311Ila#782#1,093
  3. 302Nancie#816#1,118
  4. 282Arline#904#1,186
  5. 269Candyce#944#1,213

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

boys

2,038,751 boys got a published name in 1954; 1 in 8,027 of them was named Gale, which outranked 89.6% of the 4,360 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 32.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Gale
  1. #450Elliott258
  2. #451Thaddeus256
  3. #452Wilfred255
  4. #453Gale254
  5. #453Elijah254
  6. #453Linwood254
  7. #456Jamie253
  8. #457Reed252
  9. #457Sterling252

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

Biggest movers since 1953
Risers
  1. 592Ricci#1,331#739
  2. 470Demetrius#1,357#887
  3. 382Crawford#1,378#996
  4. 310Gavin#1,139#829
  5. 296Dino#1,058#762
Fallers
  1. 504Arlin#878#1,382
  2. 347Adan#895#1,242
  3. 345Dayton#966#1,311
  4. 302Garey#966#1,268
  5. 293Bartholomew#975#1,268

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

See the top 100 for 1954