UK name, mostly girls
Jael
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "mountain goat".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Jael is mostly registered for girls in the UK records. People looking for Jael popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3695, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2011, with 13 births.
This profile covers 149 England and Wales registrations across 23 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 46% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 148 living people in the UK are called Jael. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Jael ranked #3695 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 6 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2011, when 13 girls were registered as Jael.
- • About 148 living people in the UK are estimated to have Jael as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 95.5% of Jael registrations are for girls.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3695
2024
Births in 2024
6
Latest year
Peak year
2011
13 births
Estimated living
148
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Jael
In England and Wales birth records, Jael has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 4.5% of registrations are for boys and 95.5% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Jael registered for boys
- Ranked #3,687 in 2008
- 4 boys registered in 2008
- Peak: 2008 (4 births)
Jael registered for girls
- Ranked #3,695 in 2024
- 6 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (13 births)
Meaning
What does Jael mean?
The name Jael has its origins in Hebrew culture and language. It is derived from the Hebrew word "ya'el" which means "mountain goat" or "ibex." The name likely emerged in ancient times when Hebrew was a commonly spoken language in the region of Canaan, which is located in modern-day Israel and the surrounding areas.
One of the earliest known references to the name Jael comes from the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. In this text, Jael is depicted as a heroic woman who kills the Canaanite military leader Sisera by driving a tent peg through his temple while he was asleep. This story is believed to have taken place around the 12th century BCE.
The first recorded individual to bear the name Jael was likely Jael, the biblical figure from the Book of Judges. However, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time period when the name began to be used more widely.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Jael. One example is Jael van Gent, a Dutch Golden Age painter who lived from around 1636 to 1689. She was known for her still life paintings and worked in the city of Haarlem.
Another person named Jael was Jael Palsor, an American stage actress who was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was born in 1870 and is remembered for her performances in various Broadway productions.
In the 20th century, Jael Bahary was a prominent Yemeni-Israeli politician and activist. She was born in 1935 and played a significant role in advocating for the rights of Jewish immigrants from Yemen in Israel.
Jael Moudiappanadin was a French writer and poet from Mauritius who lived from 1929 to 2017. She wrote extensively about the experience of being a woman of Indian descent in Mauritius and explored themes of identity and cultural heritage in her work.
Another notable individual named Jael was Jael Henríquez, a Chilean writer and academic who was born in 1946. She has published several books and has been recognized for her contributions to literature and women's studies in Chile.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Jael over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Jael in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Jael, the clearest high point is 2011. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2024, compared with 13 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jael by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Jael was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2983 | 40 | 5 |
| 2010s | #3404 | 67 | 9 |
| 2000s | #3645 | 35 | 7 |
| 1990s | #3513 | 7 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Jael
- Jessica 105,041
- Jasmine 35,227
- Jade 19,646
- Julia 11,780
- Jennifer 11,529
- Jodie 9,357
- Jemima 6,454
- Josephine 5,889
- Jessie 5,418
- Josie 5,284
- Jasmin 4,706
- Jenna 4,646
FAQ
Jael: questions and answers
How popular is the name Jael in the UK right now?
In 2024, Jael was ranked #3695 for girls in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.
When was Jael most popular?
The peak year on record was 2011, with 13 babies registered as Jael in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Jael?
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "mountain goat".
How many people are called Jael in the UK?
A total of 149 babies have been registered as Jael across the 23 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.