Mostly boys · peaked in 2014
Noel name popularity since 1925
64,300 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Noel (23.5% girls, 76.5% boys). Half of them were born in 1987 or earlier, so the typical Noel is about 39 years old in 2026. Noel peaked in 2014 as the #356 name for boys, and it ranked #478 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 64,300
- Named Noel, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #478
- for boys in 2025 (635 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 76.5% boys
- 15,111 girls · 49,189 boys
- Most popular in
- California
- 1.79× its national share
Peak year is the year Noel 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.
Noel births per year, 1925–2025
2014 was the biggest year for Noel both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1963 and 1968, Noel became 1.9× more common, from 1 in 5,290 baby boys to 1 in 2,720.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Noel's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Noel.
Decade by decade
Babies named Noel 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 | 119 | 1,138 | – |
| 1930s | 464 | 3,298 | #297 |
| 1940s | 915 | 3,541 | #336 |
| 1950s | 905 | 3,646 | #394 |
| 1960s | 1,288 | 4,664 | #399 |
| 1970s | 1,807 | 5,135 | #342 |
| 1980s | 2,494 | 4,773 | #407 |
| 1990s | 2,387 | 5,271 | #438 |
| 2000s | 1,874 | 5,814 | #442 |
| 2010s | 1,866 | 7,613 | #376 |
| 2020–25 | 992 | 4,296 | #478 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
19.4% of babies named Noel from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where Noel is most popular
The index compares Noel'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 Noel.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| California | 1.79× | 10,455 |
| Texas | 1.70× | 7,375 |
| New York | 1.68× | 7,040 |
| Arizona | 1.37× | 984 |
| New Jersey | 1.36× | 2,068 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Noel's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Noel.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Noel (2014).
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