Gabriel Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Boy Names Like Gabriel

Gabriel Name Origin: Hebrew
Pronunciation: g(ay)-bree-uhl
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Gabriel Name Meaning

A deeply spiritual name with ties to several religions, Gabriel means “God is my strength.” In Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, Gabriel serves as a messenger from God, visiting select people with the word of God and other instructions. Notably, he’s an archangel in the Old Testament, announcing the birth of Jesus Christ. A name of strength and conviction, Gabriel is a beautiful choice for those looking to honor their beliefs.

Gabriel is a consistent charter on the U.S. Top 1000 list, though his popularity has risen and fallen over the years. This has allowed the name to flourish, avoiding the label of being dated or trendy. He’s a classic with widespread appeal, spanning generations with ease.

Despite his ancient roots, he fits in well today thanks to his strong meaning and soft sound, wearing well in a world of Aiden and Liam. He also has several precious nicknames that will stand out in a crowd from the obvious Gabe to the unexpected Breeze or Breezy.

Gabriel has also seen a boost recently from his appearances in film, battling Dracula in Van Helsing and serving a lead angel in Legion. These strong action characters give the name an extra coat of cool armor, associating it further with strength.

Gabriel has several variants including Gavril and Gabor. Female versions of the name are Gabriella, Gabrielle, and Briella.

Gabriel Name Popularity

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

Year	Rank	# Births	% Births
1910	460	11	0.0031%
1911	359	27	0.0073%
1912	443	40	0.0079%
1913	416	66	0.0116%
1914	416	90	0.0129%
1915	411	131	0.0144%
1916	410	140	0.0145%
1917	412	147	0.0147%
1918	425	149	0.0139%
1919	432	145	0.0138%
1920	435	151	0.0136%
1921	412	179	0.0156%
1922	458	144	0.0129%
1923	411	176	0.0157%
1924	398	194	0.0167%
1925	431	157	0.0139%
1926	441	148	0.0135%
1927	372	208	0.0188%
1928	356	222	0.0207%
1929	377	195	0.0188%
1930	389	185	0.0177%
1931	399	163	0.0165%
1932	411	149	0.0151%
1933	392	153	0.0164%
1934	462	112	0.0116%
1935	417	137	0.0141%
1936	386	163	0.0169%
1937	434	128	0.013%
1938	440	131	0.0128%
1939	476	103	0.0101%
1940	428	147	0.0138%
1941	404	167	0.0148%
1942	453	149	0.0118%
1943	450	153	0.0117%
1944	448	145	0.0117%
1945	466	120	0.0098%
1946	490	131	0.0089%
1947	436	203	0.0122%
1948	452	173	0.0108%
1949	422	211	0.0131%
1950	422	215	0.0134%
1951	431	206	0.0121%
1952	438	215	0.0123%
1953	426	237	0.0134%
1954	427	234	0.0128%
1955	399	289	0.0157%
1956	415	295	0.0156%
1957	403	330	0.0171%
1958	412	326	0.0172%
1959	377	405	0.0213%
1960	384	379	0.02%
1961	338	499	0.0264%
1962	334	504	0.0275%
1963	330	538	0.03%
1964	314	569	0.0323%
1965	308	568	0.0347%
1966	325	494	0.0316%
1967	291	594	0.0391%
1968	273	689	0.0459%
1969	247	815	0.0529%
1970	205	1,202	0.0755%
1971	172	1,544	0.1027%
1972	138	1,901	0.1396%
1973	131	1,959	0.1511%
1974	118	2,216	0.1705%
1975	106	2,428	0.1889%
1976	81	3,298	0.2559%
1977	87	3,344	0.2481%
1978	90	3,125	0.2324%
1979	89	3,230	0.2291%
1980	85	3,495	0.239%
1981	87	3,376	0.2297%
1982	88	3,368	0.2254%
1983	89	3,263	0.2211%
1984	87	3,311	0.2226%
1985	92	3,206	0.2112%
1986	95	3,039	0.2013%
1987	99	3,059	0.2005%
1988	102	3,092	0.1984%
1989	110	3,023	0.1873%
1990	100	3,690	0.2226%
1991	82	4,410	0.2706%
1992	86	4,328	0.2712%
1993	86	4,368	0.2802%
1994	68	5,536	0.3607%
1995	65	5,712	0.379%
1996	61	5,897	0.3938%
1997	57	6,403	0.4329%
1998	54	7,066	0.4721%
1999	53	7,369	0.4921%
2000	44	8,678	0.5681%
2001	38	10,915	0.7244%
2002	32	12,052	0.8042%
2003	29	12,517	0.8228%
2004	32	11,555	0.7581%
2005	28	12,754	0.8342%
2006	28	12,534	0.8005%
2007	28	12,900	0.8176%
2008	24	13,027	0.8429%
2009	21	12,825	0.8581%
2010	21	12,873	0.8933%
2011	24	12,337	0.8659%
2012	24	11,549	0.8105%
2013	24	11,227	0.7885%
2014	24	10,912	0.749%
2015	22	10,859	0.7463%
2016	25	10,207	0.7079%
2017	31	9,083	0.6508%
2018	35	8,335	0.6067%
2019	37	7,678	0.5672%
2020	37	6,976	0.5481%
2021	38	7,207	0.5896%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Gabriel

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

What names are diminutives of Gabriel?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Gabriel sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Gabriel, but shorter.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Gab	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gabbi	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gabbie	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gabby	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gabe	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gabi	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gabie	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gaby	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew

What names are variants of Gabriel?

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

Name	Meaning	Origin
Gabrian	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gabriele	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gabrielli	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gabriello	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gavriel	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew
Gavril	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew

Gavrilo	God's able-bodied one; hero of God	Hebrew

What names sound like Gabriel?

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

Name	Meaning	Origin
Adriel	God's flock	Hebrew
Ariel	Lion of God	Hebrew
Azriel	God is my help	Hebrew
Fabian	Bean farmer	Latin
Gable	Roof wall	French
Gael	Gaelic one	Gaelic
Gage	Pledge	English
Gale	Foreigner; cheerful, happy	Irish
Galen	Calm	Greek
Uriel	Angel of light; flame of God	Hebrew
Zuriel	The Lord my rock	Hebrew

What names are similar to Gabriel?

Find a name that’s like Gabriel, but just a little bit different.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Daniel	God is My Judge	Hebrew
David	Beloved	Hebrew
Elijah	My God is Yahweh	Hebrew

Ezekiel	God will strengthen	Hebrew
Henry	Home ruler	English
Isaiah	God is salvation	Hebrew
Lucas	From Lucania	Latin
Michael	Who is Like God?	Hebrew
Samuel	Name of God	Hebrew
Sebastian	Venerable or honorable	Greek

Lists With Gabriel

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

Siblings of Gabriel

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

Name	Meaning	Origin
Jacob	Supplanter	Hebrew
Augustus	Great, magnificient	Latin
Irene	Peace	Greek
Camila	Young religious servant	Spanish
Simeon	To hear, to be heard; reputation	Hebrew
Emily	To excel	Latin
Brynleigh	Burned meadow	English
Julian	Young at heart	Latin

Emmanuel	God is with us	Hebrew
Isaiah	God is salvation	Hebrew
Ezekiel	God will strengthen	Hebrew
Brayden	Son of Bradan	Irish
Santiago	Saint James	Spanish
Milan	Eager, laborious or rival; a coming together	Slavic
Nailah	Attainer	Arabic
Jonah	Dove	Hebrew
Yuki
Marcello		Latin
Grace	Gracious one	English
Isaac	He will laugh	Hebrew
Felicity	Happiness	Latin

Share Your Thoughts

47 Comments

Emily Sep 4 at 12:10 pm

Gabriel was the name we settled on because it’s a good Bible name and also we wanted a G name to complete our family series. D, E, F and now G!

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Juanita Rufran Aug 29 at 8:21 am

Named after his grandfather and uncle. A biblical name meaning strength of God. An archangel.

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Madison Jul 31 at 12:54 pm

My husband is from Brazil, and I am from the US. We wanted a name that both Brazilians and people from the United States could say. It’s also one of the options his parents were going to name him. But overall we both love it!:) You pronounce it like “Gah-bree-el”

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mary Jul 28 at 4:38 am

I choose the name Gabriel because i want someone who will be taking my messages directly to the Creator( GOD) Since he is an arc angel and he is the one God sent to me with the good new of Christ’s birth. lol sounds funny right

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Rufaro Jul 4 at 11:14 am

The name was given by his grandma,who had a dream about two names Gabriel and Daniel. I choose Gabriel cause he’s an angel sent from God

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Catarina Mercedes Anthony Jun 27 at 8:22 am

I’ve always loved the name Gabriel. Can’t remember where I first heard it but even as a little girl I had a list of baby names I would like and Gabriel was always one of my favorites for a boy? Luckily my boyfriend also liked the name so there wasn’t much debated once we realized we were having a baby boy.

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Irina Jun 8 at 10:24 am

International, easy to pronounce and write in diff languages

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Jacqueline May 23 at 8:43 am

I chose Gabriel because I love that is has a biblical reference and that it means God is my strength.

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Chelsea May 8 at 9:34 am

I saw an angel that told me I’d be pregnant with a boy and I needed to name him Gabriel and because he did turn out to be a boy I named him Gabriel

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Macloud Mar 28 at 12:26 am

God has been with us

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Sonia Feb 14 at 7:33 am

We wanted a name you could pronounce and spell easily, but not one you hear all the time.

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Gabe Dec 20 at 7:57 pm

Hey my name is Gabriel and I really LOVE the name

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Cynthia Kelley Jul 15 at 10:10 am

Gabriel means strong man of God and his names aligns perfectly with him and his personality.

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- JJ Nov 27 at 5:30 pm
  
  I think that the name Gabriel is a very cute and strong kind of name. All of the Gabriel’s I know are super sweet and kind and supporting. Gabriel’s will never let you down even when they want to let you get through it by yourself. Gabriel’s will never leave you in the dark and will never through you under the bus in any situation. A big thanks to all of the sweetness Gabriel’s have put into this world that is slowly falling apart!!???
  
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Judith Jun 10 at 2:40 pm

The name Gabriel came to me in a dream in the first month of pregnancy! I remained open to other names but it stuck and I love it! I’m from Belgium and speak French and my husband is from El Salvador and speaks Spanish, so the Latin-base is great and it’s pronounced the same in both. I don’t like the nickname Gabe and hope this won’t be used by many. It also goes well with our his big brother’s name, Marcello. His middle name is Alessandro.

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Sarah Feb 20 at 10:00 pm

My husband actually chose his name and I love it ?

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Laney Jan 25 at 12:18 pm

Gabriel means God is my strength. 🙂

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Carolina Dec 12 at 12:19 am

Gabriel was a name my husband loved and bring that he’s the archangel of fertility and I conceived using ivf it felt very fitting

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Kelsey Sep 5 at 7:30 pm

This name came to.us about a week prior to the arrival of our boy.

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- Harlee Jasonya Gant Aug 29 at 10:24 pm
  
  Me too I heard God speak to me straight in moonlight I’m using gabriel
  
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Jami Powell Aug 24 at 8:37 am

I already have a son named Michael so we really like the Ark Angles theme. They are warrior angle names and we want our sons to be warriors for God. Gabriel means God is my strength and we paired it with Andrew which means Strong Man. In this crazy year of 2020 we all need to be reminded that our strength comes from Him.

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Gabriel Jun 9 at 10:58 am

I named my baby boy Gabriel because he’s my second son my first son named Emilio born may 12th passed away may 24th it was very hard on me I got pregnant with Gabriel 3 months later I decided to put Gabriel as in the name of an angel Gabriel because he is my rainbow baby I fell in love with the name and my son came out just perfect it fits him very well

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santiago Jun 8 at 10:23 am

My Gabriel, messenger from god! Truly fits my first born I lobe that name and what it means

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- Harlee Aug 29 at 10:27 pm
  
  I already have a boy name Malachi which is messenger of God and gabriel means that? I thought that gabriel was God is my strength
  
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Serena May 6 at 3:33 pm

Me and his father are both Italian and we chose Adrian for our first sons name and Gabriel for our second both are Italian names. Gabriel Lucas flows so well together. I don’t like that it’s biblical but love the meaning behind the name.

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Donna Apr 23 at 1:37 pm

Gabriel is a name from the Bible and his daddy actually picked it out.

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Jennifer Apr 2 at 9:11 pm

I wanted a strong bibical name which was also representative of a strong yet gentle male name.

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Heather Tinnell Mar 15 at 5:55 pm

I named my son Gabriel (meaning; Warrior of God) because in 2008 I had a horrific car accident where I was pronounced dead at the scene then a few doctors told me that I would never be able yo have a baby of my own after 6 mis-carriages. But my son held strong through the pregnancy and delivery, proving that the doctors are not God.

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Stacy Mar 5 at 1:48 pm

We chose Gabriel for the name for the meaning. His name means God is my strength.

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Julianna Jan 31 at 10:30 am

My husband had chosen this name when he was a young teen & always said if he had a boy he’d name him that. So that’s where Gabriel got his name

We both love the name! Plus its Biblical so that’s another plus

I’m so very glad he’s in our lives & apart of our family

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Rachel Jan 29 at 7:06 am

My husband chose the name when he saw Gabriel in the OR. It was on our shortlist as we wanted a name that wasn’t to common but had biblical roots.

I find it a bit of a hurdle to say some times but it really suits him.

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Ashley Jan 20 at 10:34 am

We chose Gabriel because it is a guardian angels name and after 7 miscarriages leading up to Gabriel’s birth, we wanted a way to remember those losses and honor them in his namesake. His middle name is also special, Adaiah- Hebrew meaning “gift sent from Jehovah“. And a gift he is.

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Gabriel Jan 8 at 3:44 pm

* Why and how did you chose the name Gabriel? Before my husband and I got married we decided that if we ever had a boy that his name would be Gabriel because of the archangel.
* What do you like (or dislike) about the name Gabriel? How folks automatically want to pronounce it like the girl version and we have to correct them.

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Heaven Dec 30 at 3:31 pm

My sisters named my baby Gabriel because his due date was the 24th of December and it comes from the angel Gabriel the one who told Mary and Joseph in the Bible that she would be having a son.

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Alice Aug 30 at 3:09 pm

Gabriel has always been one of my favourite names. It’s a strong name but can also be shortened to Gabe and still be effective. It’s also because he is my little angel after being told I possibly wouldn’t be able to have children.

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Emily Aug 29 at 11:52 pm

One night, I overheard my husband and son reading the story of the angel, Gabriel, announcing the birth of Jesus to Mary. After my son was in bed, I told my husband that I really liked that name, and he agreed – even though it had already been crossed off our name list. After that, it was the name we liked most! We are so happy with it.

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Kayla Aug 16 at 10:58 am

My son was named after his father.

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Tiffany Jun 18 at 8:24 am

His dad named him not to sure why he chose the name gabriel

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Caroline Jun 11 at 9:25 am

My husband picked the name, actually. He always wanted his firstborn boy to be named Gabriel, after one of the first angels. And, what an appropriate name for our baby boy! He had a rough start, with the cord around his neck and had inhaled fluid into his lungs. We almost thought we’d lost him – he IS our little angel.

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Sarah Jun 10 at 10:21 am

I picked gabriel because its out of the bible and the angels name was gabriel and the meaning of his name is a gift from God

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Sarah Jun 10 at 10:17 am

I picked gabriel because it’s out of the bible the angel and the meaning of his name is a gift from God

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Courtney Jun 8 at 11:24 am

We choose the name for the meaning. Each time his name is spoken what it means is being spoken over him

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Abigail Apr 24 at 11:47 pm

Strong, classic name. Means “God is My Strength”

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Stacie Apr 23 at 4:01 pm

It’s my favorite Spanish name and happens to be daddy’s name, too.

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Chelsey Apr 14 at 2:52 am

We chose his name the day after he was born. We had a short list of names we liked but didn’t want to pick until we met our son.

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Mary Apr 14 at 2:48 am

My daughter’s name is linked with my family, so we wanted to do something for out son that would give a link to my husband’s family. They all have the same initials, GAL. So we chose our favorite G name for out son, that wasn’t already used. He also has the same middle name as his dad, Andrew 🙂
Although I don’t hate the shortened form of his name, Gabe, we don’t use it.
It is nice that we can celebrate a Catholic feast day twice – once on the feast of the Archangels and once on the Annunciation. Gabriel is the angel that announced to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. Since my name is Mary, we celebrate that day as a double celebration!

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Raimonda Apr 13 at 1:48 pm

There is a ceramic angel in our bedroom gi en to me and my husband by my parents. We kept looking at him and praying for a baby. There we got pregnant with our boy and we named him Gabriel, just like the angel from the bible.

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Gabriel