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BabyNames
Boy name#139 of boy names

Joel

Pronounced JH OW1 AH0 L (ARPABET)

  • 2 syllables
  • Peaked 1985
  • 145 years in use
  • Biblical
  • 2 spellings
Compare

How popular is Joel?

Joel is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 284,272 children — the 139th most common boys' name on record.

It has been slipping, down 37% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1985, when 4,633 children were given it.

Two other spellings are counted in that total — Joell and Johel — because they are pronounced identically.

01,2502,5003,7505,00018901920195019802010
1985Boys: 4,633Girls: 54

Spelling variants

These spellings sound identical to Joel and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

  • Joell
  • Johel

Characteristics

  • Biblical (Person)
  • 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
JH OW1 AH0 L · JH OW1 EH1 L
Stress pattern:
10 · 11
Syllables:
2

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Names like Joel

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Sibling names for Joel

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Joel?
Joel ranks 139th among boys' names in US records, with 284,272 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 20,752.
Is Joel a unisex name?
No. Joel is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Joel most popular?
1985, when 4,633 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Joel spelled?
Joell, Johel. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.