Al

Did you know?

A few things about Al you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Al

Al Jarreau

American jazz and pop singer (1940–2017)

Choose Al and your child shares a first name with Al Jarreau, an American jazz and pop singer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Al, like who?” Al Jarreau's Wikipedia article is available in 44 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Al Jarreau on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 142,857 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Al, 12 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Al would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryAl has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Als, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1910, when it ranked #285. Today it's #6,803, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowAl was 3.9× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 36,364 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 142,857.
• 🍂TrendAl has slipped 1,948 places over the last five years and now sits at #6,803. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.

About the name Al

Al is a boy name of English, French and German origin. It has 2 letters and 1 syllable, starting with A and ending in “-al”. US birth records list Al for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1910, when it ranked #285 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #6,803, with 12 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench namesGerman namesGreek namesIrish names