Ariel

Spellings & scripts●

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 2 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Ariel is also recorded as 7 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name404K records spelled Ariel61 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Brazil, Philippines, Ecuador

  Languages: English, German, Dutch

  Also written Aeriel, Ariël, A'Riel, Ari'El, Ariél

• Polish given name25K records spelled Ariel9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Poland, United States, United Kingdom, Spain

  Also written Ąrïęl, Arièl, Áriel, Äřïêľ, Arìęl

• Hebrew given name25K records spelled Ariel15 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Israel, United States, Philippines, Argentina

  Also written אריאל, ארי-אל, Ariyel, Ariele, Ariëlle

• Indonesian given name22K records spelled Ariel6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Philippines, Indonesia, United States, Malaysia

  Languages: Indonesian, Malay

  Also written 'Ariel, Áriel, Arïęl, Ariël

• a separate given name19K records spelled Ariel3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, Bolivia, Israel

  Also written Ariél, Ariël

• Lao given name9.0K records spelled Ariel22 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Laos, Thailand, Philippines, United States

  Languages: Lao, Thai

  Also written อาเรียล, Aryel, แอเรียล, Äriel, Arïël

• Chinese given name7.3K records spelled Ariel15 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Taiwan, United States, Spain, Philippines

  Also written Arien, Arial, Aríél, Aríel, Arīel

80 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Ariel is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• The Hebrew name Ariel (אֲרִיאֵל) means "lion of God," derived from the words 'ari' (אֲרִי) for lion and 'El' (אֵל) for God. It can also be interpreted as "hearth of God" or "altar of God," a symbolic name also used for Jerusalem in the book of Isaiah.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• In the canonical biblical text, the term signifies the formidable strength of Israel's enemies that is overcome by God's anointed warriors. In later extra-biblical Jewish and Christian mysticism, the name became associated with an archangel.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• Compound of 'aryeh' (lion) and 'el' (God), meaning 'Lion of God'; alternatively associated with 'harel' meaning 'Mountain of God' or 'Altar Hearth'.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• A unisex name of Hebrew origin meaning 'Lion of God', widely used in modern times.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• ,9 From the biblical place name Ariel, said to mean ‘lion of God’ in Hebrew. It is mentioned in the prophecies of Ezra (8:16) and Isaiah (29:1-2). This is relatively common as a boy’s name in - modern Israel, but in the United States it is more frequently used as a girl’s name.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 125 years between 1892–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Ariel Sharonb. 1928ILPrime Minister of Israel from 2001 to 2006 (1928-2014)
• Ariel Henryb. 1949HTHaitian politician and neurosurgeon (born 1949)
• Ariel Ortegab. 1974ARArgentine footballer
• Ariel Ibagazab. 1976ARArgentine association football player
• Jordana Spirob. 1977USnot in their usual nameAmerican actress
• Ariel Rechtshaidb. 1979USAmerican record producer
• Matías Fernandezb. 1986CLnot in their usual nameChilean footballer
• Lucas Boyéb. 1996ARnot in their usual nameArgentine association football player
• Gonzalo Montielb. 1997ARnot in their usual nameArgentinian association football player
• Ariel Winterb. 1998USAmerican actress

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 1,354 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Ariel?

We estimate roughly 134 thousand people bear Ariel (counting its spellings and scripts) across 14 countries in our records.

In which country does Ariel have the most bearers?

Ariel is most frequently recorded in Argentina, where it is most often spelled ariel.

How common is Ariel compared with other names?

In Argentina, Ariel is the 41st most common given name of 517,176 given names recorded there.

Is Ariel a male or female name?

Ariel is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Ariel mean?

Recorded meaning: Ariel is a powerful Hebrew name meaning 'Lion of God,' symbolizing strength and divine protection.