Gale
Variant of Gail, shortened from Abigail, Hebrew for my father is joy. An English surname Gale, from a word for a cheerful person, feeds the same spelling.
Gale in 2025
Gale was given to 13 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 13,809th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 255,026 babies born.
The history of Gale
Gale reached its highest point in 1957, when 1,364 babies were given the name, ranking 426th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 399th, in 1947.
Across the 143 years of records since 1883, 32,343 babies have been named Gale. Half of them were born before 1951, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Gale by decade
| Decade | Babies named Gale | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 16 | 1,813 |
| 1890s | 69 | 1,146 |
| 1900s | 149 | 1,180 |
| 1910s | 1,033 | 960 |
| 1920s | 2,339 | 749 |
| 1930s | 3,468 | 470 |
| 1940s | 8,009 | 399 |
| 1950s | 11,774 | 420 |
| 1960s | 3,834 | 648 |
| 1970s | 1,011 | 1,368 |
| 1980s | 325 | 3,260 |
| 1990s | 119 | 7,801 |
| 2000s | 50 | 12,504 |
| 2010s | 88 | 12,830 |
| 2020s | 59 | 10,434 |
Where Gale is heading
Gale has risen 63% over the past decade, from 8 babies in 2015 to 13 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1957 peak — Gale is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Gale
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Gale.