Yael is a distinctive choice, ranked #1809 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Yael in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#1809
US Rank #790
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About the Name Yael
Yael has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 112 places in five years. It was most popular in 2004 at #1715 โ parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Yael is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Yael in their class.
In the US it ranks even higher at #790, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
โญ Famous People Named Yael
Yael Poliavich โ Yael Poliavich is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of the Yael Foundation, a charitable organization supporting access to education for Jewish children worldwide.
Yael Cohen Braun โ Yael Cohen Braun is a South Africanโborn Canadian health activist.
Yael Padilla โ Jonathan Yael Padilla Sandoval is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga MX club Guadalajara and the Mexico national under-20 team.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Yael
Unlikely. With around 16 UK babies named Yael per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Yael in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Yael is rising: up 491 places since 2020, to #1,809 in 2025. Its best recorded position was #1,715 in 2004.
Yael is more popular in the US (#790) than in the UK (#2412). 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 Yael include: Yael Poliavich, Yael Cohen Braun and Yael Padilla. Short summaries for each appear below.
Yael ranks #790 in the US top 1,000 (2024). It's recognised in America but considerably more popular in the UK.
16
UK babies named Yael (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↑ 491 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Yael
Almost certainly the only Yael in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2022–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Yael
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Yael Poliavich is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of the Yael Foundation, a charitable organization supporting access to education for Jewish children worldwide.
Jonathan Yael Padilla Sandoval is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga MX club Guadalajara and the Mexico national under-20 team.
Yael Ravia-Zadok (Hebrew: ืืขื ืจืืื-ืฆืืืง) is the deputy director-general and head of the Economic Diplomacy Division at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who served as the Ambassador to Cyprus from 2015 until 2017.