Joel
#13,208 for girls in 2025, 6 births · #219 for boys in 2025, 1,633 births
Given to boys 99.1% of the time
- Peak · boys
- 1981 · 4,540 births
- Debut · boys
- 41 births
- In top 100 · boys
- 26 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 279,655since 1880
Joel over time
Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #13,208 | 6 | #219 | 1,633 |
| 2024 | #11,122 | 8 | #219 | 1,638 |
| 2023 | #11,169 | 8 | #212 | 1,745 |
| 2022 | — | #209 | 1,780 | |
| 2021 | #12,206 | 7 | #211 | 1,797 |
| 2020 | — | #207 | 1,843 | |
| 2019 | #13,799 | 6 | #187 | 2,095 |
| 2018 | #11,427 | 8 | #188 | 2,132 |
| 2017 | #14,124 | 6 | #177 | 2,265 |
| 2016 | #10,113 | 10 | #166 | 2,427 |
| 2015 | #16,419 | 5 | #158 | 2,602 |
| 2014 | #9,517 | 11 | #154 | 2,672 |
| 2013 | — | #144 | 2,727 | |
| 2012 | — | #144 | 2,780 | |
| 2011 | #8,614 | 13 | #132 | 3,056 |
| 2010 | #11,246 | 9 | #132 | 3,065 |
| 2009 | #17,294 | 5 | #116 | 3,564 |
| 2008 | #11,599 | 9 | #113 | 3,744 |
| 2007 | #10,818 | 10 | #123 | 3,423 |
| 2006 | #8,237 | 14 | #123 | 3,455 |
| 2005 | #8,330 | 13 | #123 | 3,275 |
| 2004 | #8,716 | 12 | #124 | 3,237 |
| 2003 | #9,048 | 11 | #124 | 3,245 |
| 2002 | #7,045 | 15 | #122 | 3,191 |
| 2001 | #6,956 | 15 | #126 | 3,167 |
| 2000 | #6,808 | 15 | #112 | 3,380 |
| 1999 | #5,896 | 17 | #115 | 3,185 |
| 1998 | #6,360 | 15 | #117 | 3,172 |
| 1997 | #5,228 | 19 | #126 | 2,989 |
| 1996 | #4,453 | 23 | #124 | 3,004 |
| 1995 | #4,099 | 25 | #120 | 3,100 |
| 1994 | #4,238 | 24 | #108 | 3,368 |
| 1993 | #3,681 | 29 | #101 | 3,557 |
| 1992 | #4,236 | 24 | #100 | 3,667 |
| 1991 | #2,935 | 39 | #100 | 3,762 |
| 1990 | #3,022 | 37 | #94 | 4,000 |
| 1989 | #4,020 | 24 | #88 | 3,939 |
| 1988 | #2,539 | 42 | #85 | 3,940 |
| 1987 | #2,780 | 35 | #75 | 4,138 |
| 1986 | #2,148 | 49 | #72 | 4,507 |
| 1985 | #2,545 | 38 | #67 | 4,623 |
| 1984 | #2,227 | 44 | #66 | 4,524 |
| 1983 | #2,047 | 49 | #67 | 4,345 |
| 1982 | #2,451 | 39 | #69 | 4,446 |
| 1981 | #2,158 | 47 | #65 | 4,540 |
| 1980 | #2,154 | 47 | #67 | 4,564 |
| 1979 | #2,343 | 40 | #71 | 4,216 |
| 1978 | #2,159 | 43 | #74 | 3,810 |
| 1977 | #2,026 | 47 | #73 | 3,824 |
| 1976 | #2,387 | 34 | #72 | 3,722 |
| 1975 | #2,097 | 41 | #74 | 3,729 |
| 1974 | #1,733 | 52 | #75 | 3,491 |
| 1973 | #2,629 | 27 | #73 | 3,570 |
| 1972 | #1,946 | 42 | #78 | 3,528 |
| 1971 | #1,857 | 47 | #86 | 3,499 |
| 1970 | #1,952 | 43 | #82 | 3,839 |
| 1969 | #1,303 | 75 | #80 | 3,681 |
| 1968 | #1,334 | 69 | #80 | 3,683 |
| 1967 | #1,255 | 73 | #90 | 3,476 |
| 1966 | #1,017 | 103 | #102 | 3,232 |
| 1965 | #1,887 | 37 | #114 | 2,860 |
| 1964 | #2,675 | 22 | #110 | 3,135 |
| 1963 | #2,864 | 19 | #110 | 3,237 |
| 1962 | #2,741 | 20 | #113 | 3,298 |
| 1961 | #2,411 | 25 | #110 | 3,518 |
| 1960 | #2,512 | 23 | #110 | 3,712 |
| 1959 | #3,104 | 15 | #116 | 3,458 |
| 1958 | #2,025 | 30 | #120 | 3,224 |
| 1957 | #2,168 | 26 | #104 | 3,604 |
| 1956 | #2,321 | 23 | #106 | 3,436 |
| 1955 | #2,222 | 24 | #121 | 2,806 |
| 1954 | #1,909 | 30 | #127 | 2,596 |
| 1953 | #2,236 | 22 | #134 | 2,302 |
| 1952 | #1,978 | 26 | #132 | 2,228 |
| 1951 | #2,810 | 14 | #129 | 2,162 |
| 1950 | #1,794 | 28 | #130 | 2,043 |
| 1949 | #2,850 | 13 | #138 | 1,987 |
| 1948 | #1,901 | 25 | #137 | 2,026 |
| 1947 | #1,752 | 30 | #133 | 2,144 |
| 1946 | #1,808 | 25 | #127 | 1,999 |
| 1945 | #1,699 | 24 | #134 | 1,597 |
| 1944 | #1,808 | 22 | #125 | 1,714 |
| 1943 | #1,556 | 29 | #128 | 1,745 |
| 1942 | #1,668 | 25 | #134 | 1,595 |
| 1941 | #2,018 | 17 | #142 | 1,339 |
| 1940 | #1,591 | 24 | #140 | 1,278 |
| 1939 | #1,544 | 24 | #135 | 1,295 |
| 1938 | #1,752 | 20 | #134 | 1,262 |
| 1937 | #1,493 | 25 | #139 | 1,116 |
| 1936 | #1,267 | 32 | #146 | 1,060 |
| 1935 | #1,331 | 30 | #157 | 919 |
| 1934 | #1,603 | 22 | #172 | 815 |
| 1933 | #2,275 | 13 | #185 | 666 |
| 1932 | #2,235 | 14 | #206 | 624 |
| 1931 | #2,750 | 10 | #242 | 477 |
| 1930 | #2,110 | 16 | #263 | 455 |
| 1929 | #2,301 | 14 | #272 | 420 |
| 1928 | #2,768 | 11 | #278 | 415 |
| 1927 | #2,859 | 11 | #284 | 392 |
| 1926 | #3,046 | 10 | #291 | 379 |
| 1925 | #2,283 | 16 | #294 | 379 |
| 1924 | #2,661 | 13 | #295 | 377 |
| 1923 | #2,732 | 12 | #303 | 348 |
| 1922 | #2,780 | 12 | #294 | 368 |
| 1921 | #2,762 | 12 | #281 | 395 |
| 1920 | — | #308 | 346 | |
| 1919 | #3,219 | 9 | #280 | 358 |
| 1918 | #3,244 | 9 | #294 | 348 |
| 1917 | #4,083 | 6 | #300 | 308 |
| 1916 | #3,552 | 7 | #309 | 282 |
| 1915 | #3,795 | 6 | #311 | 272 |
| 1914 | — | #321 | 200 | |
| 1913 | — | #307 | 167 | |
| 1912 | #2,979 | 5 | #332 | 129 |
| 1911 | — | #357 | 59 | |
| 1910 | — | #332 | 55 | |
| 1909 | — | #325 | 50 | |
| 1908 | — | #335 | 45 | |
| 1907 | — | #286 | 54 | |
| 1906 | — | #286 | 49 | |
| 1905 | — | #284 | 48 | |
| 1904 | — | #294 | 43 | |
| 1903 | — | #340 | 32 | |
| 1902 | — | #312 | 38 | |
| 1901 | — | #302 | 34 | |
| 1900 | — | #375 | 35 | |
| 1899 | — | #286 | 37 | |
| 1898 | — | #255 | 48 | |
| 1897 | — | #331 | 31 | |
| 1896 | — | #306 | 37 | |
| 1895 | — | #295 | 37 | |
| 1894 | — | #261 | 44 | |
| 1893 | — | #239 | 52 | |
| 1892 | — | #292 | 39 | |
| 1891 | — | #297 | 31 | |
| 1890 | — | #282 | 37 | |
| 1889 | — | #274 | 37 | |
| 1888 | — | #252 | 48 | |
| 1887 | — | #227 | 48 | |
| 1886 | — | #243 | 49 | |
| 1885 | — | #213 | 56 | |
| 1884 | — | #221 | 56 | |
| 1883 | — | #212 | 51 | |
| 1882 | — | #222 | 54 | |
| 1881 | — | #197 | 57 | |
| 1880 | — | #262 | 41 | |
In the first year the SSA published name data, Joel was already there! It came in at #262, and was given to 41 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1889–1892, when fewer than 40 boys a year got the name.
See more about Joel
- Held #219 since 2024
- 12 spots since 2020 (#207 → #219)
- 61 spots since 2015 (#158 → #219)
- Biggest jump: 76 spots in 1898 (#331 → #255)
- Biggest drop: 89 spots in 1900 (#286 → #375)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1981 at #65 (4,540 births)
- Births halved by 2017, 36 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 26 yrs · run 1967–1992
- Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
- Highest: 1 in 391 boys born in 1980 were named Joel (0.26%)
- Latest: 1 in 1,046 boys born in 2025 (0.10%)
- Its best rank, #65 in 1981, was only 1 in 395 (0.25%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
- 15.6% of all boys named Joel (43,566) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 497 | #197 (1881) | #232 |
| 1890s | 393 | #239 (1893) | #284 |
| 1900s | 428 | #284 (1905) | #314 |
| 1910s | 2,178 | #280 (1919) | #314 |
| 1920s | 3,819 | #272 (1929) | #290 |
| 1930s | 8,689 | #134 (1938) | #178 |
| 1940s | 17,424 | #125 (1944) | #134 |
| 1950s | 27,859 | #104 (1957) | #122 |
| 1960s | 33,832 | #80 (1968) | #102 |
| 1970s | 37,228 | #71 (1979) | #76 |
| 1980s | 43,566 | #65 (1981) | #72 |
| 1990s | 33,804 | #94 (1990) | #111 |
| 2000s | 33,681 | #112 (2000) | #121 |
| 2010s | 25,821 | #132 (2010) | #158 |
| 2020s | 10,436 | #207 (2020) | #213 |
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.
Joel in 1981
Top girls' names in 1981
Top boys' names in 1981
More about 1981
girls
1,668,060 girls got a published name in 1981; 1 in 35,491 of them was named Joel, which outranked 82.3% of the 12,198 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
- #2,119Teah48
- #2,119Tequilla48
- #2,119Zulema48
- #2,158Joel47
- #2,158Amparo47
- #2,158Candra47
- #2,158Carletta47
- #2,195Adriene46
- #2,195Alfreda46
- #2,195Ammie46
Tied with 36 names at #2,158; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,791,177 boys got a published name in 1981; 1 in 395 of them was named Joel, which outranked 99.1% of the 7,289 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.