Boys' name · peaked in 1980
Joel name popularity since 1925
276,829 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Joel (0.9% girls, 99.1% boys). Half of them were born in 1982 or earlier, so the typical Joel is about 44 years old in 2026. Joel peaked in 1980 as the #67 name for boys, and it ranked #219 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 276,829
- Named Joel, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #219
- for boys in 2025 (1,633 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.1% boys
- 2,504 girls · 274,325 boys
- Most popular in
- Minnesota
- 1.49× its national share
Peak year is the year Joel made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Joel births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1985. Measured as a share of all babies, Joel peaked in 1980.
- Fastest rise: Between 1931 and 1936, Joel became 2.2× more common.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Joel's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Joel.
Decade by decade
Babies named Joel in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 62 | 1,985 | – |
| 1930s | 206 | 8,689 | #157 |
| 1940s | 234 | 17,424 | #135 |
| 1950s | 238 | 27,859 | #121 |
| 1960s | 466 | 33,832 | #114 |
| 1970s | 416 | 37,228 | #74 |
| 1980s | 414 | 43,566 | #67 |
| 1990s | 252 | 33,804 | #120 |
| 2000s | 119 | 33,681 | #123 |
| 2010s | 68 | 25,821 | #159 |
| 2020–25 | 29 | 10,436 | #219 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
23.1% of babies named Joel from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Joel is most popular
The index compares Joel'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 Joel.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 1.49× | 7,499 |
| North Dakota | 1.42× | 1,242 |
| Alaska | 1.35× | 556 |
| Iowa | 1.35× | 4,750 |
| Texas | 1.35× | 29,403 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Joel and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Joel (this page) | 274,325 | 1980 |
| Joell | 1,200 | 2011 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Joel's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Joel.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Joel (1980).
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