Joel is a distinctive choice, ranked #209 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Joel in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2024
#209
US Rank #219
About the Name Joel
Joel is gradually declining in popularity, having dropped 48 places over five years. Its high point was #62 in 2001, and it now sits at #209. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It has featured in the UK top 100 for 15 years, demonstrating solid mainstream recognition.
Joel is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
It ranks similarly in the US at #219, suggesting broad transatlantic appeal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Joel
Unlikely. With around 240 UK babies named Joel per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Joel in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Joel has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 48 places in the last five years. Its peak was #62 in 2001. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this name.
Joel is more popular in the UK (#209) than in the US (#219). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Joel include: Joel Embiid — Joel Hans Embiid is a Cameroonian and American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).; Joel Dawit Makonnen — Prince Joel David Makonnen Haile Selassie is an attorney, businessman, philanthropist, writer, and member of the Ethiopian Imperial House of Solomon.; Joel Sclavi — Joel Sclavi is an Argentine professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Top 14 club La Rochelle and the Argentina national team..
Joel appears in the US top 500 at #219 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.
240
UK babies named Joel (2024)
~0.0
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.1
In a school of 600
↓ 48 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Joel
Likely around 1 other Joel in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Joel
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Joel Hans Embiid is a Cameroonian and American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks, he was drafted third overall by the 76ers in the 2014 NBA draft.
Prince Joel David Makonnen Haile Selassie is an attorney, businessman, philanthropist, writer, and member of the Ethiopian Imperial House of Solomon. He is the great-grandson of Haile Selassie I, the last Emperor of Ethiopia.
Joel Leandro Ordóñez Guerrero is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Belgian Pro League club Club Brugge and the Ecuador national team.
Joel 'Coach Joe' Bouraïma was born and raised in Yvelines, France, a suburb of Paris. After discovering his passion for sports, he decided to study sport and traumatology at Paris Orsay University, one of the most prestigious universities of France.