Ariel

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Ariel

Ariel Ortega

Argentine footballer

Choose Ariel and your child shares a first name with Ariel Ortega, an Argentine footballer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Ariel, like who?” Ariel Ortega's Wikipedia article is available in 48 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Ariel Ortega on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires from Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,889 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Ariel, 851 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Ariel would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryAriel first shows up in US birth records in 1892, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 133 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1991, when it ranked #66. Today it's #355, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendAriel has slipped 156 places over the last five years and now sits at #355. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedAriel is most popular in New Mexico, where it ranks #159, followed by California (#185) and Arizona (#211). It's in the top 1,000 in 33 states.
• ⚖️Boy or girlAriel is given to both boys and girls: 61% of the 1,384 babies named Ariel in 2025 were girls. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn Hebrew, Ariel means “lion of God”.

About the name Ariel

Ariel is a gender-neutral name of Hebrew origin meaning “lion of God”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with A and ending in “-iel”. US birth records list Ariel for girls from 1892 to 2025, in 122 of those 134 years. Its best year was 1991, when it ranked #66 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #355, with 851 babies. Of the 1,384 US babies named Ariel in 2025, 61% were girls and 39% were boys.

Origin:Hebrew names