Joel
From Hebrew Yo'el, which joins two names for God, Yahweh and El. It belongs to one of the minor prophets of the Hebrew Bible.
Joel in 2025
Joel was given to 1,639 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 419th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 2,023 babies born.
The history of Joel
Joel reached its highest point in 1985, when 4,661 babies were given the name, ranking 131st that year.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 282,250 babies have been named Joel. Half of them were born before 1981, which places the name's centre of gravity with Millennials.
Joel by decade
| Decade | Babies named Joel | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 497 | 397 |
| 1890s | 393 | 611 |
| 1900s | 428 | 769 |
| 1910s | 2,220 | 613 |
| 1920s | 3,930 | 576 |
| 1930s | 8,895 | 298 |
| 1940s | 17,658 | 267 |
| 1950s | 28,097 | 232 |
| 1960s | 34,298 | 173 |
| 1970s | 37,644 | 146 |
| 1980s | 43,980 | 131 |
| 1990s | 34,056 | 174 |
| 2000s | 33,800 | 198 |
| 2010s | 25,889 | 231 |
| 2020s | 10,465 | 365 |
Where Joel is heading
Joel has fallen 37% over the past decade, from 2,607 babies in 2015 to 1,639 in 2025.
Names like Joel
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Joel.