Mostly girls · peaked in 1991
Ariel name popularity since 1925
100,268 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Ariel (78.2% girls, 21.8% boys). Half of them were born in 2002 or earlier, so the typical Ariel is about 24 years old in 2026. Ariel peaked in 1991 as the #66 name for girls, and it ranked #356 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 100,268
- Named Ariel, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #356
- for girls in 2025 (851 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 78.2% girls
- 78,398 girls · 21,870 boys
- Most popular in
- Nevada
- 2.18× its national share
Peak year is the year Ariel made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Ariel births per year, 1925–2025
1991 was the biggest year for Ariel both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1986 and 1991, Ariel became 7.6× more common, from 1 in 2,630 baby girls to 1 in 347.
- Steepest fall: Between 1991 and 1996, its share of baby girls fell by 62%, from 1 in 347 to 1 in 911.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Ariel's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Ariel.
Decade by decade
Babies named Ariel in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 53 | 27 | – |
| 1930s | 83 | 53 | #3,171 |
| 1940s | 86 | 45 | #3,403 |
| 1950s | 63 | 125 | Under 5 |
| 1960s | 139 | 445 | #3,966 |
| 1970s | 717 | 1,479 | #1,628 |
| 1980s | 6,353 | 2,977 | #379 |
| 1990s | 28,142 | 4,662 | #151 |
| 2000s | 16,265 | 4,495 | #222 |
| 2010s | 19,377 | 4,342 | #137 |
| 2020–25 | 7,120 | 3,220 | #356 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000. "Under 5" means fewer than 5 girls got the name.
Generation fingerprint
34.1% of babies named Ariel from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Ariel is most popular
The index compares Ariel's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Ariel.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 2.18× | 753 |
| Arizona | 1.91× | 2,394 |
| Florida | 1.75× | 6,133 |
| California | 1.52× | 15,630 |
| Texas | 1.52× | 11,534 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Ariel and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Ariel (this page) | 78,398 | 1991 |
| Arial | 1,197 | 1991 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Ariel's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Ariel.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Ariel (1991).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data