# Axel (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/axel/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Norse |
| Meaning | “god”, “cauldron”, “helmet” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈæk.səl/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 72,668 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 72,459 / 209 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 3,942, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Danish Aksel, first used for the bishop and statesman Absalon Hvide (1128–1201), from biblical Absalom. Some sources suggest that the bishop was originally named Áskell, from Old Norse "god" + "cauldron, helmet", and Absalon was chosen as the nearest-sounding Christian equivalent, leading to the exchange of the middle consonants.

## What it means

Axel is grouped under god.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 7 | 13,663 |
| 2011 | 10 | 10,502 |
| 2013 | 5 | 16,919 |
| 2014 | 10 | 10,242 |
| 2015 | 12 | 9,027 |
| 2016 | 10 | 10,207 |
| 2017 | 18 | 6,578 |
| 2018 | 8 | 11,557 |
| 2019 | 8 | 11,510 |
| 2020 | 8 | 11,237 |
| 2021 | 13 | 8,091 |
| 2022 | 15 | 7,326 |
| 2023 | 12 | 8,553 |
| 2024 | 8 | 11,256 |
| 2025 | 8 | 11,077 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3,036 | 137 |
| 2012 | 2,482 | 162 |
| 2013 | 2,428 | 168 |
| 2014 | 2,806 | 145 |
| 2015 | 3,249 | 123 |
| 2016 | 3,467 | 116 |
| 2017 | 3,789 | 104 |
| 2018 | 4,074 | 94 |
| 2019 | 4,505 | 84 |
| 2020 | 4,667 | 72 |
| 2021 | 4,540 | 76 |
| 2022 | 4,350 | 76 |
| 2023 | 4,523 | 71 |
| 2024 | 4,255 | 78 |
| 2025 | 4,140 | 79 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 41 | 759 |
| 2012 | 55 | 634 |
| 2013 | 54 | 632 |
| 2014 | 86 | 457 |
| 2015 | 122 | 363 |
| 2016 | 128 | 362 |
| 2017 | 165 | 303 |
| 2018 | 213 | 244 |
| 2019 | 221 | 228 |
| 2020 | 311 | 168 |
| 2021 | 411 | 138 |
| 2022 | 547 | 100 |
| 2023 | 475 | 109 |
| 2024 | 431 | 129 |
| 2025 | 363 | 147 |

## In other languages

- Danish: Aksel, Axel
- Estonian: Aksel
- Finnish: Akseli
- French: Axel
- German: Axel
- Greek: Άξελος
- Japanese: アクセル
- Norwegian: Aksel, Axel
- Russian: А́ксель
- Swedish: Axel

## People named Axel

- Axel Witsel, Belgian association football player (born 1989)
- Axel Rodrigues de Arruda, Brazilian association football player
- Axel Disasi, French footballer (born 1998)
- Axel Tuanzebe, DR Congolese footballer
- Axel Ehnström, Finnish singer-songwriter
- Axel Rudi Pell, German guitarist (born 1960)
- Axel Springer, German mass media owner
- Prince Axel of Denmark, Danish prince, naval officer and business executive (1888–1964)
- Axel Merckx, Belgian road bicycle racer
- Axel Hirsoux, Belgian singer
- Axel Bakunts, Armenian activist (1899–1937)
- Axel Harnack, Baltic German mathematician (1851–1888)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.