Gayle is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Gayle means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Gayle across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Gayle has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Gayle is a girl name of Hebrew origin meaning “my father rejoices”. A variant of Gail, short for Abigail.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 66,308 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 9 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 1,243 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 134 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 Gayle per year, United States (1891 to 2024). United States peaked in 1951 (2,929/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1975 (118/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1980 (14/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (9/yr).
Gayle has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1951, when it ranked #228 nationally (given to 2,929 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1950s.
Kyle · Kayla · Gail · Kaylee · Gael · Callie · Gale · Kailey
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