unisex name
Lael
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Unisex
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 4,844
France
#542
as Laël, 2025
Lael is a unisex name. It is given to both girls and boys — about 54% of recorded births with this name are girls. In 2025 it was given to 255 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
- Lael is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 255 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 13,001 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1895.
Lael over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 5 |
| 1910s | 25 |
| 1920s | 60 |
| 1930s | 140 |
| 1940s | 140 |
| 1950s | 185 |
| 1960s | 147 |
| 1970s | 299 |
| 1980s | 222 |
| 1990s | 211 |
| 2000s | 464 |
| 2010s | 833 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 795 |
How popular is Lael?
In 2025, Lael was given to 255 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Lael 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 Lael is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Laël | Laël is Lael written with a diaeresis in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #542 in France, against #2,833 for Lael. | 615 |
| La'el | La'el is Lael written with an apostrophe, recorded mostly in England and Wales. | 3 |
Names that peaked alongside Lael
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Lael also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Lael over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Lael
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Lael — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Lael
How popular is the name Lael?
In 2025, Lael was given to 255 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Lael a girl's or a boy's name?
Lael is used for both girls and boys. About 54% of recorded births with this name are girls.
When was Lael most popular?
Lael peaked in 2025, when 255 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Lael a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Lael currently ranks #542 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.