Gail

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Gail

Gail Devers

American athletics competitor, sprinter, hurdler

Choose Gail and your child shares a first name with Gail Devers, an American athletics competitor, sprinter, hurdler. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Gail, like who?” Gail Devers's Wikipedia article is available in 39 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Gail Devers on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Trackinfo, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 133,333 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Gail, 12 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Gail would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryGail first shows up in US birth records in 1881, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 144 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1951, when it ranked #36. Today it's #8,362, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowGail was 2.7× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 49,020 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 133,333.
• 🍂TrendGail has slipped 2,279 places over the last five years and now sits at #8,362. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningGail is an English form of Abigail, which means “father's joy”. Our records link it to Greek and Irish roots.

About the name Gail

Gail is a girl name of Greek and Irish origin meaning “father's joy”. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with G and ending in “-ail”. US birth records list Gail for girls from 1881 to 2025, in 145 of those 145 years. Its best year was 1951, when it ranked #36 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #8,362, with 12 babies.

Origin:Greek namesIrish names