Ariel

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Ariel

Gender: Masculine and Feminine
Language: English
Etymology:
Ariel comes from Hebrew and means “Lion of God.”

History:
Ariel, a minor Biblical prophet, is traditionally a masculine name.
Arielle or Ariella is the traditional feminine version.

The name took on a faerie quality in 17th century when Shakespeare used it for a sprite-character in his 1611 play The Tempest. Later, Alexander Pope used it for a sylph in his 1714 mock-epic The Rape of the Lock.

In modern times, Ariel has become a common Jewish name, for both men and women.

Ariel was revived for boys in the 1960s, perhaps because of Sylvia Plath’s 1966 book Ariel, or perhaps in honor of Israeli general Ariel Sharon of 1967’s Six Day War.

In 1977, American singer-songwriter Dean Friedman had a hit song entitled “Ariel” about “a Jewish girl” who didn’t eat meat, wore peasant blouses and got high. Soon after, the spelling Ariel became common as a feminine name.

Ariel became a trendy name of the 1980s and 1990s, especially after 1989 when Disney released The Little Mermaid featuring a mermaid named Ariel.

Pronunciation: air-ee-ell.

Alternates (female): Areille, Ariela, Ariele, Arielle, Ariellel, Eriel.
French: Arielle.

Famous Bearers:
Educators, Scholars, and Social Workers:
Chaya “Ariel” Kaufman Durant (f., 1898-1981)
Russian-American historian.

Fictional Characters:
Ariel (m., 1611)
A sprite in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest
Ariel (m., 1714)
A sylph in Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock.
Ariel (f.)
A mermaid in Disney’s 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid.

Political Figures:
Ariel Sharon (m., 1928-)
Israeli general and politician.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census, for males:
0.007 % named Ariel

Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census, for males:
0.007 % named Ariel
0.003 % named Arielle

Popularity of Ariel, for males:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1966: N/A
1967: 936th most popular.
1968: 824th most popular.
1969: 854th most popular.
1970: 887th most popular.
1971: 874th most popular.
1972: 797th most popular.
1973: 778th most popular.
1974: 653rd most popular.
1975: 615th most popular.
1976: 616th most popular.
1977: 678th most popular.
1978: 561st most popular.
1979: 580th most popular.
1980: 553rd most popular.
1981: 552nd most popular.
1982: 496th most popular.
1983: 473rd most popular.
1984: 504th most popular.
1985: 512th most popular.
1986: 508th most popular.
1987: 524th most popular.
1988: 494th most popular.
1989: 488th most popular.
1990: 467th most popular.
1991: 339th most popular. - Peak!
1992: 435th most popular.
1993: 441st most popular.
1994: 456th most popular.
1995: 465th most popular.
1996: 450th most popular.
1997: 472nd most popular.
1998: 467th most popular.
1999: 490th most popular.
2000: 543rd most popular.
2001: 524th most popular.
2002: 505th most popular.
2003: 557th most popular.
2004: 553rd most popular.

Popularity of Ariel, for females:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1977: N/A
1977: N/A - Dean Friedman releases his hit song “Ariel.”
1978: 893rd most popular.
1979: 949th most popular.
1980: 856th most popular.
1981: 725th most popular.
1982: 393rd most popular.
1983: 348th most popular.
1984: 362nd most popular.
1985: 378th most popular.
1986: 364th most popular.
1987: 373rd most popular.
1988: 276th most popular.
1989: 210th most popular. - The Little Mermaid is released, featuring a mermaid named Ariel.
1990: 98th most popular.
1991: 67th most popular. - Peak!
1992: 87th most popular.
1993: 126th most popular.
1994: 150th most popular.
1995: 154th most popular.
1996: 167th most popular.
1997: 146th most popular.
1998: 148th most popular.
1999: 173rd most popular.
2000: 186th most popular.
2001: 201st most popular.
2002: 217th most popular.
2003: 214th most popular.
2004: 220th most popular.

Popularity of Arielle:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1981: N/A
1982: 929th most popular.
1983: 682nd most popular.
1984: 599th most popular.
1985: 617th most popular.
1986: 602nd most popular.
1987: 583rd most popular.
1988: 368th most popular.
1989: 185th most popular.
1990: 195th most popular.
1991: 190th most popular.
1992: 292nd most popular.
1993: 423rd most popular.
1994: 428th most popular.
1995: 391st most popular.
1996: 430th most popular.
1997: 394th most popular.
1998: 432nd most popular.
1999: 500th most popular.
2000: 545th most popular.
2001: 576th most popular.
2002: 583rd most popular.
2003: 586th most popular.
2004: 635th most popular.

Selected Sources:
A Dictionary of First Names, Hanks and Hodges, 1990
The Penguin Dictionary of First Names, Pickering, 1999

The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 (www.ssa.gov) - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880, and other information (it is available on-line at www.familysearch.org)