boy's name
Uriel
OO-ree-el
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 22,898
the United States
#445
2025 births
Uriel is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my light". It names one of the archangels in Jewish tradition, though unlike Michael and Gabriel he does not appear in the Hebrew Bible as an angel at all.
- Uriel is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2008, when 796 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,611 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1913.
Uriel over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 44 |
| 1920s | 80 |
| 1930s | 26 |
| 1940s | 17 |
| 1950s | 53 |
| 1960s | 134 |
| 1970s | 344 |
| 1980s | 947 |
| 1990s | 3,475 |
| 2000s | 6,507 |
| 2010s | 5,855 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,911 |
What Uriel means
Uriel means God is my light, joining ur, light or flame, to el, God. The name states something about God rather than describing the person carrying it, in the standard biblical pattern.
Where Uriel comes from
Uriel comes from the Hebrew Uriel, from ur, light or fire, and el, God. Two men bear it in Chronicles, but his standing as an archangel comes from later texts — the Book of Enoch, 2 Esdras and rabbinic tradition — rather than from the Hebrew Bible, and the Western church has been intermittently uneasy about venerating him for that reason. In Jewish liturgy he appears in the bedtime prayer naming four archangels at the four sides of the sleeper. Spanish-speaking families have used the name widely, and it appears in our records from 1913.
Uriel in use
Uriel charts in only four of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2008.
How popular is Uriel?
In 2025, Uriel was given to 719 babies in the United States, ranking #445 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Uriel 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 Uriel is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Uriël | Uriël is a rare spelling of Uriel, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Uriel
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Uriel also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Uriel over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Uriel
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.
Uriel 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.
- Latin
- Oriel
Sibling names for Uriel
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Uriel — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Uriel
What does the name Uriel mean?
God is my light, from the Hebrew ur, light, and el, God.
Is Uriel an archangel?
In Jewish tradition and in texts like the Book of Enoch, yes — but he does not appear as an angel in the Hebrew Bible itself.
How do you pronounce Uriel?
OO-ree-el in Spanish; YOOR-ee-el is common in English.
How popular is the name Uriel?
In 2025, Uriel was given to 719 babies in the United States, ranking #445 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Uriel a girl's or a boy's name?
Uriel is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Uriel most popular?
Uriel peaked in 2008, when 796 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Uriel?
Uriel is usually shortened to Uri.
Is Uriel a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Uriel currently ranks #445 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.