girl's name
Hazel
HAY-zəl
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 325,400
the United States
#21
2025 births
Hazel is a girl's name of English origin naming the hazel tree, from the Old English hæsel. It joined the wave of botanical names that became fashionable in the Victorian period, and also describes the greenish-brown eye color named after the ripe hazelnut.
- Hazel is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 7,680 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 523 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Hazel over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,676 |
| 1890s | 20,273 |
| 1900s | 23,991 |
| 1910s | 57,629 |
| 1920s | 59,627 |
| 1930s | 29,038 |
| 1940s | 16,958 |
| 1950s | 9,283 |
| 1960s | 3,751 |
| 1970s | 1,513 |
| 1980s | 1,241 |
| 1990s | 1,695 |
| 2000s | 5,971 |
| 2010s | 34,014 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 36,809 |
What Hazel means
Hazel means the hazel tree or its nut, from the Old English hæsel. The word doubles as a color term in English, describing eyes of a greenish-brown shade likened to a ripening hazelnut, so the name carries both a botanical and a descriptive sense.
Where Hazel comes from
Hazel comes from the Old English hæsel, the name of the tree, which traces back to a common Germanic root shared with the German Hasel and the Old Norse hasl. The hazel carried practical and folkloric weight in Britain long before it was a name: its flexible rods were the traditional material for water divining and for hurdle-making, and in Irish and Welsh tradition the tree was associated with wisdom. Its use as a color word for eyes is recorded from the sixteenth century. Hazel entered use as a given name in the nineteenth century as part of the Victorian enthusiasm for plant names, arriving alongside Ivy, Olive, and Fern.
Hazel in use
Hazel is one of a small group of English names that are simultaneously a tree, a nut, and a color.
How popular is Hazel?
In 2025, Hazel was given to 6,342 babies in the United States, ranking #21 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Hazel is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Hazel
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Hazel also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Hazel over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Hazel
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Hazel in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Hazel
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Hazel — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Hazel
What does the name Hazel mean?
Hazel means the hazel tree, from the Old English hæsel.
Is Hazel a color as well as a name?
Yes. Hazel describes a greenish-brown eye color, named after the ripening hazelnut.
When did Hazel become a first name?
Hazel came into use as a given name in the nineteenth century, during the Victorian fashion for botanical names.
How popular is the name Hazel?
In 2025, Hazel was given to 6,342 babies in the United States, ranking #21 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Hazel a girl's or a boy's name?
Hazel is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Hazel?
Hazel has 2 syllables.
When was Hazel most popular?
Hazel peaked in 1918, when 7,680 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Hazel?
Hazel is usually shortened to Haze.
Is Hazel a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Hazel currently ranks #21 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.