Infographic of Ariel name meaning, which is “The lion of God,” from the Hebrew ari (lion) and El (God). In Shakespeare’s The Tempest, a tricksy spirit, the servant of Prospero.
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Ariel Name Popularity

How popular is the name Ariel? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 0 0%
1911 0 0%
1912 0 0%
1913 0 0%
1914 0 0%
1915 0 0%
1916 0 0%
1917 0 0%
1918 0 0%
1919 0 0%
1920 0 0%
1921 0 0%
1922 0 0%
1923 0 0%
1924 0 0%
1925 0 0%
1926 0 0%
1927 0 0%
1928 0 0%
1929 0 0%
1930 0 0%
1931 0 0%
1932 0 0%
1933 0 0%
1934 0 0%
1935 0 0%
1936 0 0%
1937 0 0%
1938 0 0%
1939 0 0%
1940 0 0%
1941 0 0%
1942 0 0%
1943 0 0%
1944 0 0%
1945 0 0%
1946 0 0%
1947 0 0%
1948 0 0%
1949 0 0%
1950 0 0%
1951 0 0%
1952 0 0%
1953 0 0%
1954 0 0%
1955 0 0%
1956 1,392 6 0.0003%
1957 1,172 13 0.0007%
1958 0 0%
1959 1,535 5 0.0003%
1960 1,260 11 0.0006%
1961 1,248 11 0.0006%
1962 1,246 10 0.0005%
1963 1,128 15 0.0008%
1964 1,041 20 0.0011%
1965 971 24 0.0015%
1966 1,151 13 0.0008%
1967 801 43 0.0028%
1968 745 57 0.0038%
1969 715 74 0.0048%
1970 798 62 0.0039%
1971 778 64 0.0043%
1972 722 76 0.0056%
1973 743 71 0.0055%
1974 598 131 0.0101%
1975 575 148 0.0115%
1976 577 149 0.0116%
1977 633 128 0.0095%
1978 529 193 0.0144%
1979 564 185 0.0131%
1980 541 204 0.014%
1981 534 202 0.0137%
1982 501 242 0.0162%
1983 476 270 0.0183%
1984 498 239 0.0161%
1985 507 250 0.0165%
1986 498 267 0.0177%
1987 520 252 0.0165%
1988 498 291 0.0187%
1989 491 336 0.0208%
1990 489 349 0.0211%
1991 366 615 0.0377%
1992 471 417 0.0261%
1993 482 393 0.0252%
1994 485 395 0.0257%
1995 481 409 0.0271%
1996 476 411 0.0274%
1997 484 396 0.0268%
1998 476 420 0.0281%
1999 504 385 0.0257%
2000 564 322 0.0211%
2001 540 355 0.0236%
2002 517 397 0.0265%
2003 561 354 0.0233%
2004 561 363 0.0238%
2005 559 383 0.025%
2006 471 533 0.034%
2007 513 473 0.03%
2008 576 401 0.0259%
2009 558 429 0.0287%
2010 600 365 0.0253%
2011 617 337 0.0237%
2012 743 255 0.0179%
2013 721 269 0.0189%
2014 724 272 0.0187%
2015 589 413 0.0284%
2016 492 567 0.0393%
2017 475 562 0.0403%
2018 586 414 0.0301%
2019 541 463 0.0342%
2020 571 431 0.0339%
2021 565 459 0.0375%
2022 565 480 0.0364%

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Arizona (AZ)

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Colorado (CO)

Connecticut (CT)

District of Columbia (DC)

Florida (FL)

Georgia (GA)

Hawaii (HI)

Iowa (IA)

Illinois (IL)

Indiana (IN)

Kansas (KS)

Massachusetts (MA)

Maryland (MD)

Michigan (MI)

Minnesota (MN)

Missouri (MO)

North Carolina (NC)

Nebraska (NE)

New Jersey (NJ)

New Mexico (NM)

Nevada (NV)

New York (NY)

Ohio (OH)

Oklahoma (OK)

Oregon (OR)

Pennsylvania (PA)

Rhode Island (RI)

South Carolina (SC)

Tennessee (TN)

Texas (TX)

Utah (UT)

Virginia (VA)

Washington (WA)

Wisconsin (WI)

Data via SSA.gov.


Names Like Ariel

If you like Ariel, you’ll love these other names like Ariel.


What names are variants of Ariel?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Ariel.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Aeriel

Lion of God

Hebrew

Aeriell

Lion of God

Hebrew

Airel

Lion of God

Hebrew

Airyel

Lion of God

Hebrew

Airyell

Lion of God

Hebrew

Arel

Lion of God

Hebrew

Ari

Lion

Hebrew

Arie

Lion, eagle; lion of God; the best of all

Scandinavian

Ariell

Lion of God

Hebrew

Arik

Forever or alone, ruler; lion of God

Scandinavian

Aryel

Lion of God

Hebrew

Aryell

Lion of God

Hebrew


What names sound like Ariel?

If you like how Ariel sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Ariel.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Oriel

Golden

Latin

Uriel

Angel of light; flame of God

Hebrew


Lists With Ariel

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Ariel.


Siblings of Ariel

Mamas with kids named Ariel also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Adlai

God is just

Hebrew

Ariel

Lion of God

Hebrew

Mirabel

Wonderful

Latin

47 Comments

  1. My wife loved this name because it seemed so masculine and beautiful to her. I didn’t; because of the mermaid cartoon and because it’s now very girly. Unfortunately, my wife’s blood pressure suddenly went up and she had to have an emergency delivery. The doctors said that the baby would most likely not survive. It was a difficult time for both of us. But God’s miracle happened and our son survived! Now our Ariel Elijah is 3 years old and I love the name. Our Ariel is a strong little lion!

  2. Hahahaaaa
    I wanted to name my baby Ariel because of its meaning and the character Ari Gold !
    Turns out my baby is a boy !
    So I named him Ariel Alastair Davidson 🙂
    Ari Gold is my favorite character, so I named my boy after him, huh!
    I don’t care if some Childish Disney Fan who has no strength to search call this name girly because of that red hair mermaid, Shut Up!

  3. Our neighbors named their twin sons, Adriel and Ariel ( Adri and Ari ) ?
    They designed their nursery so different.
    For Adriel it has a astronaut theme and for Ariel it has ocean theme.
    Their both now 2 years old and so sweet and adorable! Adri is so calm and Ari is playful.
    I see Ariel as a lovely name for a boy 🙂

  4. We have 3 daughters ( Adrianne ” Adrie ” , DanielleDannie ” and SamanthaSami ” )
    My wife wanted a boy who we can name him Ariel cause it was her favorite boys name and of course her uncle was also Ariel.
    We had our son 5 months ago, and we named him Ariel Henry .
    We call him Ari for short and we love him. Our daughters adore him cause his name is like the little mermaid but they say it’s perfect on a boy than a girl.

  5. It’s an interesting name and I was looking for namesmean lion.
    Yeah yeah little mermaid bluh bluh bluhhhhh
    I DONT CARE PEOPLE!
    I NAMED MY SON ARIEL !
    He’s now 12 and more successful than girl ariels!
    Huh! We’re proud of our sons name 🙂

  6. We wanted to honour my brave brother who fought with cancer ( love you brother Ariel ).
    My son was born too early and he was in hospital for 3 months 🙁
    Ariel means the lion of god and lions are known for their courage and strength.
    My son, Ariel Skyler is now 3 and I adore him and his name. Everyone tells me how lovely and suitable his name is and of course I also get jokes about little mermaid but I don’t care! I love Ariel for my son.

  7. We just liked the name to be our son’s name.
    Simple, not too strange and manly.
    I’m not the fan of Disney and I’ve always loved Ariel for a boy ?
    My husband actually wrote his name, Ariell. But I pronunce it arr-ee-ell . I think with that extra L, most people see it more masculine than the original.
    We call him Ari.
    I have 6 children : James , Isabella, Olivia, Skyler ( he’s a boy ) , Elisabel ( mix of Elisabeth + Belle ) and Ariel .
    I love all my children’s names.

  8. Our daughter chose our son’s name.
    She said I want a mermaid mini sibling!
    So we told her she’s the sister of a merman.
    She immediately said : Oh Ok! Name him Ariel !
    We were surprised cause she’s only 3 and doesn’t know Ariel can be a boys name too.
    We ourselves were looking for a biblical name and something fresh, Ariel is simple and very handsome name.
    Our son’s name is, Ariel Levi Irwin 🙂 daughter’s name is Eliana Marianne Isabelle 🙂
    We call them Lia and Ari 🙂

  9. To be honest, I Adore and Love Little Mermaid!
    Back into my childhood, I was always watching it with my best friends and even made a playground out of the themes of the movie.
    When I found out I was pregnant, first I wanted to be a gender surprise and second without doubt naming my little bean Ariel.
    My delivery was hard, I had water birth but it was worth it believe me.
    Then the midwife said It’s A Boy !
    I was like what? Are you sure?!
    Not because I didn’t want a boy but he was so quiet and calm when he was in my womb.
    I named my merman, Ariel Demetrius 🙂
    I love him so much! He’s really a sea creature, Beautiful and Stunning.
    We call him Ariel or Ari sometimes. I don’t regret to name my son after my favorite childhood character. BTW now I think this name is more perfect on boys than girls dunno.
    Love You Ariel!
    Mamma Violette

  10. I don’t care if most people in USA know it as the little mermaid or a girlish name ( I’m an American myself ), Ariel is originally a Boyish name and so popular in Spain, Philippine and Israel.
    My best friend named his son, Ariel ” AriLeonardo.
    Both names mean Lion and I love it. He’s such a sweet child and I’m his godfather.
    We adopted a little lovely girl one month ago and her name is Ariella ” Aria “.
    My best friend has a Lion and I have a Lioness.

  11. My brother told me that Ariel was the nickname God gave to Jacob after he won a wrestling match with the infidels.. So now I’m going go to name my son Ariel Jacob. His nickname will be Arik. Btw I like the little mermaid too so now my son can be the little merman 🙂

  12. If I named my son Ariel in 2012, yeah everyone would thought he was a girl.
    But now its 2023, I named my son Ariel and nobody mistaken him as a girl. Even nurse first asked it’s a boy or girl ? Even when I told my friends my newborn son’s name is Ariel, they didn’t mocked me or said oh you mean little mermaid bluh bluh ….
    So yeah things are changing for names. Personally love Ariel for a boy.

  13. Ariel was a surprise baby
    We wanted to keep the gender until the birth
    We chose Ariel because it’s a unisex name , when I gave birth, the midwife told me the baby is a boy.
    So we named him Ariel Edmond Kingsley.
    My husband’s family call him Ari for short , but I like to call him by his full name, Ariel ?

  14. air-ee-ell or arr-ee-ell, I’ve love this name for A BOY ! Screw that mermaid !

  15. My brother recommend this name for my son and I used it. It was supposed to be my nephew’s name but her mom chose Aurora instead.
    I don’t have any problems with it being unisex or known as little mermaid, in fact I loved her a lot when I was a kid.
    I pronounce my son’s name Air-ee-ell like little mermaid 🙂

  16. I’m a nurse. I see many women who gave birth to boys naming them Ariel recently. Maybe because of the nickname Ari and most of them are Christians or Jewish.
    Most parents came up with unique creative variations like Aerial , Airael , Ariyel , Ariell, Araeil, Aeriel or Aariel .
    I also see this name for girls too but I think the hype of little mermaid is decreasing and now most names are unisex and a boy named Ariel is not strange at all.

  17. I’m from Australia and my wife is Japanese.
    She always liked the name Ariel for a girl. Our oldest son is named Shinji ( to the honour of my wife’s culture ). Then our twins were born, both boys, Ivan and James. Our daughter was born 2 years after twins, my mother in law named her Isabella cause it was her favorite western name, my wife respected her mother’s wish. But I know in her deep down my wife wanted to name her Ariel. When we found out our last baby is a boy, She got depressed because it was our last baby and she wished for a girl. I researched, didn’t want to see my wife’s heart be broken over a name. I found out Ariel is a gender neutral name. I talked to her and then one day we watched an anime named maquia and it was about a boy named Ariel. When our son was born I told her whatever you chose it’s amazing. She then said I think Ariel can be good for boys too right?
    All of us agreed and we named him Ariel. We call Ariel without any nicknames . I’m grateful for my family’s happiness.

  18. I just liked the name. It’s simple, has good meaning, cute and powerful and can be shorten as Ari or Arel or Arik.
    I pronounce it air-ee-ell like the little mermaid and unlike so many I like her a lot.
    My son has red ginger hair and green_blue eyes, he’s like a anime character. Far frome now nobody has ever teased or bullied him. It’s just he’s so much like a male version of little mermaid and loves oceans. We’re from Australia and our house is near the beach, Ariel always goes there, collecting sea crafts.

  19. Lol if James, Logan and even Evan is acceptable for girls so why can not be Ariel as boys name huh?
    Of course it was originally a boyish name before that red drama mermaid hair ^^
    Even I saw Eva, Hope, Faith and Ash for boys recently ( I work in a ice cream shop ) So yeah people get use to it. Ariel is not strange for boys just because one character has it.

  20. We thought it’s a cool name for our son.
    My wife wasn’t sure since it’s known for girls as little mermaid.
    But we both love his name, it means lion of god and it’s wonderful. Our last name is Caspian so it feels like a captain or sailor for us.
    Our Ariel has orange hair and green eyes, it fits him 🙂
    We have 5 children , Elisabetta, Michael , Artemas ( boy) , Anya and Andria. Now Our Ariel is our 6th baby and his siblings love him. We call his full name Ariel without nicknames.

  21. My best friend suggested this name for my son.
    She’s a big Disney nostalgia movies and said : Hey! Name him Ariel! ”
    I didn’t know Ariel can be a boys name too and it surprised me.
    I looked up to the meaning and I find it cool especially if you pronunce it ( Ah-Ree-Yal )
    When I told her I named my son Ariel she was overwhelmed by happiness, she was like that emoji with 2 heart eyes 🙂

  22. My mother was a writer, She was always reading me her stories named Saving Estrella, about a intelligent boy named Ariel who was planning to save stars and their princess from lord darkness.
    From that I always liked Ariel. My father was also a character designer ( writer +designer = ? ) and he drew me so many concept arts for Ariel.
    I want to honour their work by naming my first child, my son, Ariel. He’s gonna have 3 middle names! Ariel James Michael Cyrus. 🙂

  23. I like the spelling air-ee-ell on girls and arr-ee-ell on boys.
    It’s a beautiful name, I’m a teacher and see many both girls and boys named Ariel. Love the meaning.

  24. I actually wanted to originally name my son Ariel but I changed the spelling to Araeil ( Ara_Eill ), my wife’s father’s name was also Ariel, he was a firefighter. My wife had a deep attachment towards him but unfortunately lost him due to one rescue mission.
    It’s still has the same meaning but I prefer Ariel for boys but have no problem to see it on girls. It’s beautiful for both genders.

  25. It’s my cousins name 🙂
    He was named after our great grandfather, He wasn’t Jewish btw.
    He was a police officer, He died in a battle with smugglers in Mexico.
    My uncle and aunt wanted to honour him.
    Cousin Ariel is such a fireball, loud but well mannered.. I call him ” Ari, Ari, The fire bally “.
    :)))

  26. I’m Muslim. Here some modern Muslim parents name their sons Ariel and Ariela for their daughters.
    I’d watched the little mermaid, but honestly I like it for boys, especially the nickname Ari. This name makes me to connect to Allah more. I dunno this much of fight in this name girl’s side, it’s just a name, girl or boy, parents can name their children whatever they want.

  27. I’m pregnant. I rather name my son Ariel after the archangel and a spirit in Shakespeare, than a cartoon little mermaid.

  28. Love it for both genders but prefer it for boys.
    It’s cool. At least I can imagine a good boy named Ariel rather than a hot tempered girl in Ariel girl’s side. But I love Ari as a nickname.

  29. Me and my husband named our 3rd son Ariel, after the arcangel Ariel.
    We pronounce his name arr-ee-ell. Just like Arielle.
    Fun fact but I saw 5 family also named their sons Ariel or Arielle too! ( I’m a nurse myself)
    So yeah I like my son’s name. I like little mermaid too but not her fan. He has no problem with his name far from now.

  30. We pronounce his name, Ah_Ree_Yel. I don’t care if now in USA it’s a girl’s name but in other countries it’s still a popular boys name.
    Ari is a great nickname but I call his full name. Don’t be ashamed of naming you’re son Ariel, it’s a powerful great name.

  31. I love lions, brave and strong animals. I have an autoimmune disease and pregnancy was not possible for me (not easily). My pregnancy was a gift to me, it was decided that if it was a boy, it would be Ariel and if it was a girl, it would be Ariella.
    Now I have a healthy, strong and brave son like a lion. I chose Ariel because of its pronunciation and meaning.
    His middle name is Leon, which means lion too. So far, no one has said why I named a little mermaid or a girl’s name, because despite the Internet, many people know the history, meaning, and gender of the name. My Ariel also loves the sea and wants to be a fireman or a policeman. The little one is very brave.

  32. We call him Ari or Arel. They gave 3 Ariels in his schools all boys. Ariella is now more common for girls. Eriel is also another girlish variation.
    Just love the name.
    Ariel. Simple.

  33. Love It!
    It’s lovely and sounds cool. I love lions and what’s better than naming my son a name that has a meaning ” Lion Of God ”
    I have never liked the little mermaid kinda hated her ( my favorite princess was Belle )
    I call my son Ari or Ariel. His middle name is David.
    I’m teaching him to value his name and life and be a brace and good hearted human. He wants to be a firefighter, Really has a courage of a lion.

  34. Well this is my name.
    Bring a male with the name Ariel is not worst or bad really. I’ve never teased because of my name and many of my classmates even say wow! Don’t roar lion boy ?
    My nicknames are Ari or Arik.
    We have Morgan , Taylor , Avery and even Riley in our school and all are boys and they’ve never get bullied ( just getting mistaken as girls but it’s ok ) We have a Tommie who’s a girl too so nowadays many names are unisex and people are getting used to them and accepting them. Most parents are looking for a good meaning names doesn’t matter the gender ( of course still many names are better be as boys / girls name only )
    I love my name, don’t care about the little mermaid ( I like mermaids ) , I love lions and don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed. Let’s just restore the humanity. ??
    Ariel Kellys

    • Hi 🙂 ! My name is Ariel too! 🙂
      I’m 14 and love my name. I have great friends who are supporting and protecting me from bullies.
      One of my male friend’s name is Ava! Funny but his parents are the great fan of Evangelion anime 🙂
      I’m OK with my name and just want everyone to proununce my name as arr-ee-ell not Airyel.
      Oh and btw we have 4 Ariella!
      Oh and we also have Taylor, Avery and Riley too and all are boys! One day they protected me from a bully who teased my name, I’m grateful.

  35. Love it for boys. I wonder why this site doesn’t show the history of this name like they did for the Girl’s side.
    I hate that mermaid character ( just her, Merida , Tiana , Moana or even Cinderella are better princess than her ) And I wouldn’t name my daughter after her. ( personally love Ariella more )
    But it’s no one’s business if parents naming their sons or daughters Ariel. Every names nowadays are unisex even Will ( short for Willmina, Willa and Wilhelmina )

  36. I’ve loved this name since I was a little girl. There’s also an anime called ” Maquia : When the promised flower blooms ” and one of the main character’s name is Ariel who was a sweet little boy and later a good strong man and husband.
    My son’s name is Ariel and I’m not ashamed if western people naming their daughter after that mermaid character who wasn’t even great…
    His nickname is Ari and if anyone says something like Oh you just named you’re son’s girlish name
    I will show them the history of the name and say : Haha he’s a merman! ^^

  37. This name is now rising for boys since parents are choosing Arielle or Ariella.
    In the Shakespeare’s world this is boys name and one of the archangel.
    I love it. It’s the name of my best friend’s son and he’s so cute and polite and well mannered.
    Nowadays most names are acceptable and I don’t find the name Ariel wired for boys since originally it’s a boyish name.

  38. I’ve loved this name since I was little.
    The meaning of beautiful and strong and the nickname ” Ari ” is perfect.
    I don’t care if it’s Disney’s name since the pronunciation is different and I find Ariella more attractive for girls.
    One of the famous Christian Youtuber also named her son Ariel.

  39. Since I was little I’ve loved this name so much.
    I lost my both parents at the terrible car accident and got a horrible depression. In my depression I figured out I’m pregnant and my mental health wasn’t great. But but family supported me especially my brother.
    When I found out the baby is a boy, I couldn’t think about any names until my husband said hey! You loved the name Ariel right?
    Honestly I was really worried cause it’s now known more as a girls name but my son was born healthy and my mom adored lions.
    I’m still working on my mental health but my son, Ariel, became my lion who fights with my dark demons when he’s with me.

  40. I love this name!
    Ariel is really fits for a boy and I don’t care if some people still think it’s that mermaid character’s name.
    Ariel sounds so good and the nickname Ari is amazing!
    Ariella and Arielle are much better chose for girls.

  41. Ariel was popular as a male name, though it’s more female now. It’s a Hebrew male
    name that is now unisex.

  42. I love this name! Fortunately I’m not living in US or Canada because there people choose it for their girls ( which sounds stupid )
    His full name is Ariel William Daniels.

  43. He is perfect!

  44. I chose to name my baby Ariel because i love the meaning Ariel means lion of God. And it goes perfect with hes middle name that’s Isai.

  45. I choose the name because
    Angel is called Ariel too

  46. Ariel was a boy’s name way before the little mermaid but it’s usually seen as feminine. As a society we’ve decided it’s cool to have masculine names for girls. I think we could use more of the feminine. Women and girls are allowed and encouraged to display “masculine” traits; we need to allow and celebrate men and boys who have traits traditionally seen as feminine.


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