girl's name
Joelle
joh-EL
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 113,495
Canada
#802
2024 births
Joelle is the only rising name in this group, and one of very few at this volume anywhere in our data — it peaked in 2017, while almost everything of comparable size peaked between 1950 and 1995.
- Joelle is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 2017, when 456 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 13,104 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1918.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Joelle over time
Births per decade in France, 1920s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2023, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 55 |
| 1930s | 1,450 |
| 1940s | 16,225 |
| 1950s | 47,950 |
| 1960s | 20,340 |
| 1970s | 4,610 |
| 1980s | 2,175 |
| 1990s | 595 |
| 2000s | 200 |
| 2010s | 105 |
| 2020s (to 2023) | 35 |
What Joelle means
Joelle means Yahweh is God, from Joel. The Hebrew joins two divine names, so the whole compound is a statement of identity between them rather than a description.
Where Joelle comes from
Joelle is the French feminine of Joel, from the Hebrew Yo'el — a compound of two names for God, Yah and El, asserting that they are the same. That construction belongs to a period when Israelite religion was defining itself against surrounding cults, so the name is a theological argument in two syllables. Joel is one of the twelve minor prophets, and his book supplies the passage about pouring out the spirit on all flesh that Acts quotes at Pentecost.
Joelle in use
Joelle peaked in the United States in 2017, when 456 babies were registered, and our data marks it rising — the only rising name in this group and a rarity at this volume, since almost every name holding around 110,000 lifetime births peaked between 1950 and 1995. It now ranks 1010th in the United States on 253 births, 2555th in England and Wales on 11 and 4611th in France, across 113,495 lifetime births.
How popular is Joelle?
In 2025, Joelle was given to 253 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Joelle 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.
How Joelle is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Joëlle | Joëlle is a rare spelling of Joelle, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 93,685 times, mostly in France. | 93,685 |
Names that peaked alongside Joelle
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Joelle also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Joelle over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Joelle
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.
Joelle 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 Joelle
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Joelle — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Joelle
What does the name Joelle mean?
Yahweh is God — the Hebrew Yo'el, joining two names for God.
Is Joelle rising?
Yes. It peaked in 2017, which is unusual for a name of this size — most peaked decades earlier.
Is Joelle the feminine of Joel?
Yes, the French feminine.
Who was Joel?
One of the twelve minor prophets, whose book supplies the passage Acts quotes at Pentecost.
How popular is the name Joelle?
In 2025, Joelle was given to 253 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Joelle a girl's or a boy's name?
Joelle is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Joelle?
Joelle has 2 syllables.
When was Joelle most popular?
Joelle peaked in 2017, when 456 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Joelle?
Joelle is usually shortened to Jo and Elle.
Is Joelle a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Joelle currently ranks #802 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.