Joel

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled יואל in IL Israel.

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 19 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◐

Joel is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate given name105K records spelled Joel11 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, Ecuador, United Kingdom

  Also written Joël, Jo-El, Joe-L, Jōêl, Joél

• Finnish given name67K records spelled Joel17 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Finland, United States, Hungary, Sweden

  Languages: Finnish, Hungarian, Estonian

  Also written Joël, Jõēl, Jöėl, Joèl, Jõël

• Lao given name14K records spelled Joel33 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Laos, Thailand, United States, Philippines

  Languages: Lao, Thai

  Also written Billy, Yoel, โจเอล, โยเอล, Joël

• French (Côte d’Ivoire) given name8.8K records spelled Joel2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Côte d’Ivoire

  Also written Joël

• a separate given name7.7K records spelled Joel10 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Peru, Philippines, United Kingdom

  Also written Joël, J̶o̶e̶l̶, Jõėl, Jõēl, Joe̶l̶

• Greek given name4.9K records spelled Joel8 spellings in the group

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

  Also written Joël, Jöel, Joél, Ιωήλ, Joèl

74 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●

Joel 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.

• Joel is a classic biblical name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh is the Lord." It has a strong, timeless appeal and has been in use for centuries. While associated with the well-known prophet Joel, the name was also held by other biblical figures, including a tribal leader who served King David, giving it a sense of quiet strength and leadership.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Joel is a classic biblical name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh is God." It has a strong, timeless appeal and is associated with faith and spiritual commitment. The biblical Joel was a Levite who helped restore the temple, giving the name connotations of service and righteousness.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• Joel is a classic biblical name of Hebrew origin that means 'Yahweh is God'. While the most famous Joel in the Bible is the prophet, the name is associated with strength, faith, and leadership. It has been a consistently popular name in many Western countries for centuries.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Joel means "Yahweh is God," reflecting a common theological statement in ancient Israel that professes faith in the singular deity of Yahweh. The name itself is a testament to the monotheistic faith that was central to the identity and worship of the Israelites.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Joel (Hebrew: יוֹאֵל, Yôʾēl) is a compound of two Hebrew elements: 'Yo' (יוֹ), a common abbreviation for the divine name Yahweh, and 'El' (אֵל), the generic word for 'god' or specifically 'God'. The combined meaning is 'Yahweh is God'.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

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) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Zero Mostelb. 1915USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor (1915-1977)
• Joel Schumacherb. 1939USAmerican director, screenwriter, and producer (1939–2020)
• Joel Mokyrb. 1946ILAmerican-Israeli economic historian
• Joel Coenb. 1954USAmerican film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and editor (born 1954)
• Joel Murrayb. 1963USAmerican actor
• Joel McHaleb. 1971ITAmerican actor and comedian
• Joel Kinnamanb. 1979SESwedish-American actor
• Joel Fryb. 1985GBEnglish actor and musician
• Jason Derulob. 1989USnot in their usual nameAmerican singer-songwriter
• Joel Embiidb. 1994CMCameroonian and French basketball player

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 · 1,688 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Joel?

We estimate roughly 633 thousand people bear Joel (counting its spellings and scripts) across 9 countries in our records.

In which country does Joel have the most bearers?

Joel is most frequently recorded in Argentina, where it is most often spelled joel.

How common is Joel compared with other names?

In Argentina, Joel is the 232nd most common given name of 517,176 given names recorded there.

Is Joel a male or female name?

Joel 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 Joel mean?

Recorded meaning: (i) from the Hebrew male personal name Yoel; (ii) a different form of Jewell.