Ariel is a unisex name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Ariel means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Ariel across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Ariel has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Ariel is a unisex name of Hebrew origin meaning “lion of God”. a name given to Jerusalem in the Bible.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 100,665 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 947 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 11 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 27 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Ariel per year, United States (1892 to 2025). United States peaked in 1991 (6,077/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2023 (69/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2014 (6/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2017 (4/yr).
Ariel has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1991, when it ranked #122 nationally (given to 6,077 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1990s.
Ariella · Arielle · Uriel · Arlie · Yareli · Arely · Earlie · Orel
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