# Noel (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/noel/  
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 and girls |
| Origin | French |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈnəʊ(ə)l/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Noël, Noyal |
| US babies named this | 67,380 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 52,096 / 15,284 (23% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,936, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

* (names): From Noel in the sense of Christmas; given since Middle Ages to children born at Christmastide. * (city in Missouri): Named for brothers Clark Wallace and William Jasper Noel, stockmen and owners of a sawmill. * (community of Nova Scotia, Canada): Named after its most prominent resident, Noël Doiron.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 165 | 1,390 |
| 2012 | 145 | 1,527 |
| 2013 | 182 | 1,290 |
| 2014 | 206 | 1,191 |
| 2015 | 212 | 1,192 |
| 2016 | 204 | 1,211 |
| 2017 | 201 | 1,206 |
| 2018 | 192 | 1,221 |
| 2019 | 199 | 1,182 |
| 2020 | 142 | 1,506 |
| 2021 | 178 | 1,290 |
| 2022 | 192 | 1,254 |
| 2023 | 173 | 1,315 |
| 2024 | 150 | 1,464 |
| 2025 | 157 | 1,395 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 587 | 456 |
| 2012 | 682 | 417 |
| 2013 | 778 | 383 |
| 2014 | 901 | 356 |
| 2015 | 862 | 376 |
| 2016 | 846 | 381 |
| 2017 | 832 | 386 |
| 2018 | 789 | 405 |
| 2019 | 791 | 395 |
| 2020 | 714 | 417 |
| 2021 | 787 | 398 |
| 2022 | 743 | 425 |
| 2023 | 686 | 451 |
| 2024 | 731 | 434 |
| 2025 | 635 | 478 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 5,785 |
| 2017 | 3 | 5,765 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 64 | 546 |
| 2012 | 89 | 445 |
| 2013 | 93 | 434 |
| 2014 | 109 | 374 |
| 2015 | 118 | 372 |
| 2016 | 101 | 417 |
| 2017 | 120 | 380 |
| 2018 | 111 | 391 |
| 2019 | 85 | 472 |
| 2020 | 69 | 541 |
| 2021 | 75 | 520 |
| 2022 | 75 | 524 |
| 2023 | 91 | 431 |
| 2024 | 67 | 567 |
| 2025 | 65 | 593 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 諾埃爾 /诺埃尔
- French: Noël
- Irish: Nollaig
- Swedish: Noel

## People named Noel

- Noel Gallagher, British singer and guitarist
- Noel Redding, English rock and roll guitarist (1945–2003)
- Noel Fisher, Canadian actor
- Noel Clarke, British actor and filmmaker
- Noel Neill, American actress (1920-2016)
- Noel Fielding, British comedian and actor
- Noel Barrionuevo, field hockey player
- Noel Rosa, Brazilian singer and musician (1910–1937)
- Noel Harrison, British Olympic athlete, actor, and singer (1934–2013)
- Noel Gugliemi, American actor
- Noel Streatfeild, British children's author (1895–1986)
- Noel Madison, American actor (1897-1975)

## 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.