Gail

femaleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Gail: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Gail: Recorded since 1952, its highest recorded position is #15, and it was last ranked in 2008.

4registrars recorded it
61times a registrar ranked it
57years from first to last
#15highest recorded position
15groupings it qualifies for
10names it appears alongside

Region

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2008

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#2683
1997	#1958
1998	#3142
1999	#2770
2000	#3912
2002	#4137
2004	#4598
2007	#3667
2008	#5545

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Republic of Ireland in 26 of the 41 years from 1964 to 2004.

In 2004: #677 among girls in Republic of Ireland, #4598 among girls in England and Wales.

Official data from 4 national registrars across 4 regions, 1952–2008 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #15 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1966
Highest recorded position: #15 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1966).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2008
Most recently recorded at #5545 among girls in England and Wales, in 2008.
England and Wales · Girls

Gail appears in 4 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Girls, with 26 ranked years and 369 births registered; the earliest is New South Wales, Australia · Girls, from 1952.

Gail across 4 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Gail's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#245 (1964)	#178 (1971)	#677 (2004)	26 of 41	369 (1964–2004)	31 (1971)
New South Wales, Australia · Girls	#15 (1952)	#15 (1952)	#94 (1966)	15 of 15	3,504 (1952–1966)	454 (1952)
England and Wales · Girls	#2683 (1996)	#1958 (1997)	#5545 (2008)	9 of 13	39 (1996–2008)	8 (1997)
New Zealand · Girls	#34 (1954)	#34 (1954)	#89 (1966)	11 of 13	1,253 (1954–1966)	183 (1954)

Gail by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Gail in Republic of Ireland · Girls, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	45	5 of 10	9
1970sbusiest	238	10 of 10	24
1980s	74	8 of 10	9
1990s	9	2 of 10	5
2000s	3	1 of 10	3

Across Republic of Ireland · Girls, the 1970s were its busiest decade, averaging 24 births a year.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Gail appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 4 regions, from 1952 to 2008. Highest recorded position: #15 in New South Wales, Australia in 1952.

Gail's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2008	England and Wales	female	#5545	3	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	female	#3667	5	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	female	#4598	3	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	female	#4137	3	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	female	#3912	3	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	female	#2770	5	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	female	#3142	4	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	female	#1958	8	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	female	#2683	5	High	Verified
1966	New South Wales, Australia	female	#94	78	Insufficient	Not yet available
1965	New South Wales, Australia	female	#86	85	Insufficient	Not yet available
1964	New South Wales, Australia	female	#64	119	Insufficient	Not yet available
1963	New South Wales, Australia	female	#72	122	Insufficient	Not yet available
1962	New South Wales, Australia	female	#62	157	Insufficient	Not yet available
1961	New South Wales, Australia	female	#54	190	Insufficient	Not yet available
1960	New South Wales, Australia	female	#45	210	Insufficient	Not yet available
1959	New South Wales, Australia	female	#53	179	Insufficient	Not yet available
1958	New South Wales, Australia	female	#40	248	Insufficient	Not yet available
1957	New South Wales, Australia	female	#37	249	Insufficient	Not yet available
1956	New South Wales, Australia	female	#32	304	Insufficient	Not yet available
1955	New South Wales, Australia	female	#25	350	Insufficient	Not yet available
1954	New South Wales, Australia	female	#24	367	Insufficient	Not yet available
1953	New South Wales, Australia	female	#24	392	Insufficient	Not yet available
1952	New South Wales, Australia	female	#15	454	Insufficient	Not yet available
1966	New Zealand	female	#89	71	High	Verified
1963	New Zealand	female	#98	70	High	Verified
1962	New Zealand	female	#96	77	High	Verified
1961	New Zealand	female	#82	92	High	Verified
1960	New Zealand	female	#76	95	High	Verified
1959	New Zealand	female	#68	107	High	Verified
1958	New Zealand	female	#52	129	High	Verified
1957	New Zealand	female	#39	172	High	Verified
1956	New Zealand	female	#46	133	High	Verified
1955	New Zealand	female	#51	124	High	Verified
1954	New Zealand	female	#34	183	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	female	#677	3	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	female	#448	4	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	female	#409	5	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	female	#359	7	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	female	#446	4	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	female	#458	4	High	Verified
1984	Republic of Ireland	female	#343	8	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	female	#313	10	High	Verified
1982	Republic of Ireland	female	#324	10	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	female	#287	13	High	Verified
1980	Republic of Ireland	female	#245	18	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	female	#213	24	High	Verified
1978	Republic of Ireland	female	#230	20	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	female	#195	27	High	Verified
1976	Republic of Ireland	female	#196	28	High	Verified
1975	Republic of Ireland	female	#204	24	High	Verified
1974	Republic of Ireland	female	#217	22	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	female	#193	28	High	Verified
1972	Republic of Ireland	female	#204	23	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	female	#178	31	High	Verified
1970	Republic of Ireland	female	#252	11	High	Verified
1969	Republic of Ireland	female	#245	12	High	Verified
1968	Republic of Ireland	female	#240	12	High	Verified
1967	Republic of Ireland	female	#268	7	High	Verified
1965	Republic of Ireland	female	#282	6	High	Verified
1964	Republic of Ireland	female	#245	8	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
New South Wales, Australia hub — collected by NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
New Zealand hub — collected by NZ Department of Internal Affairs
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 4 registrars between 1952 and 2008, ranked in 47 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #15, first reached in 1952.

It held a top-100 place in 15 years, 15 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 454 births, registered in New South Wales, Australia in 1952.

Its record falls into 8 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 2 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1954, and 44 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Gael · #362, 19y
Gaia · #412, 29y
Gaja · #651, 15y
Gala · #1995, 15y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 4 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Dianne · #14, 48y
Meabh · #17, 48y
Saoirse · #12, 52y
Fionn · #6, 51y

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1950 and 1959.

Brett · #15, 68y
Bruce · #15, 61y
Garry · #15, 71y
Geoffrey · #15, 73y

Comparisons involving Gail

Existing comparison pages where Gail and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Order changes

Pairs where Gail and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Donna vs Gail
In New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Donna moved into the top 50 at #20 in 1959 as Gail fell out of it to #53, having been #40 the year before.
Donna · Gail · 14 shared years, 1953–1966 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 1959 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Debra vs Gail
In New Zealand · Girls, Debra moved into the top 50 at #22 in 1958 as Gail fell out of it to #52, having been #39 the year before.
Debra · Gail · 10 shared years, 1955–1966 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 1958 New Zealand ranking
Sharon vs Gail
In New Zealand · Girls, Sharon moved into the top 50 at #26 in 1955 as Gail fell out of it to #51, having been #34 the year before.
Sharon · Gail · 11 shared years, 1954–1966 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 1955 New Zealand ranking

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Pairs involving Gail measured in New South Wales, Australia's own published lists — the registrar that recorded Gail at its highest position.

Christine vs Gail
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Christine #1 in 1952, Gail #15 in 1952.
Christine · Gail · 15 shared years, 1952–1966 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1952 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Susan vs Gail
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Susan #1 in 1954, Gail #15 in 1952.
Susan · Gail · 15 shared years, 1952–1966 · Peaked in the same years
See the 1954 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Gail vs Rhonda
In New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Rhonda moved into the top 50 at #37 in 1959 as Gail fell out of it to #53, having been #40 the year before.
Gail · Rhonda · 15 shared years, 1952–1966 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 1959 New South Wales, Australia ranking

New South Wales, Australia overview→

Gail was ranked #15 in New South Wales, Australia · Girls in 1952. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Gail and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Gail without appearing here.

Gail moved ahead of

Jeanette Compare
In 2006 they stood at #4598 and #3725 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2007 that had become #3667 and #5201.
Jude Compare
In 1970 they stood at #245 and #231 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 1971 that had become #178 and #417.
Tina Compare
In 1992 they stood at #409 and #357 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 1993 that had become #448 and #516.
Ingrid Compare
In 1986 they stood at #458 and #458 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 1987 that had become #446 and #488.

Moved ahead of Gail

Finley Compare
In 1997 they stood at #1958 and #3174 in England and Wales · Girls; by 1998 that had become #3142 and #1392.
Shea Compare
In 1997 they stood at #1958 and #2738 in England and Wales · Girls; by 1998 that had become #3142 and #1823.
Ida Compare
In 1997 they stood at #1958 and #2738 in England and Wales · Girls; by 1998 that had become #3142 and #2165.
Logan Compare
In 1997 they stood at #1958 and #2738 in England and Wales · Girls; by 1998 that had become #3142 and #2407.

Moved the opposite way to Gail

Aisling Compare
Between 1964 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Gail went from #245 to #677 while Aisling went from #154 to #29.
Alexandra Compare
Between 1964 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Gail went from #245 to #677 while Alexandra went from #222 to #68.
Amelia Compare
Between 1964 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Gail went from #245 to #677 while Amelia went from #300 to #99.
Aoife Compare
Between 1964 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Gail went from #245 to #677 while Aoife went from #206 to #5.

Moved the same way as Gail

Alice Compare
Between 1964 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Gail went from #245 to #677 and Alice from #57 to #81.
Amanda Compare
Between 1964 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Gail went from #245 to #677 and Amanda from #118 to #174.
Angela Compare
Between 1964 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Gail went from #245 to #677 and Angela from #24 to #340.
Anita Compare
Between 1964 and 2004 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Gail went from #245 to #677 and Anita from #130 to #317.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 4 regions, from 1952 to 2008. Highest recorded position: #15 in New South Wales, Australia in 1952. Source data last verified 2026-07-25.

Gail

Gail at a glance

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Gail across 4 official records

Gail by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Gail appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Comparisons involving Gail

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Names published alongside Gail

Gail and the names beside it

Gail moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Gail

Moved the opposite way to Gail

Moved the same way as Gail

Gail at a glance

Gail across 4 official records

Gail by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Gail appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Comparisons involving Gail

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Names published alongside Gail

Gail and the names beside it

Gail moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Gail

Moved the opposite way to Gail

Moved the same way as Gail