How Many People Are Named Gail?
An estimated 127,181 people in the United States have the first name Gail. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #426 overall. It is predominantly female (95.8%). The average bearer is 70 years old, and Gail peaked in popularity in 1951 with 10,066 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Gail as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Gail paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Gail is overwhelmingly female, 8,951 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 70, Gail is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1966.
- Gail has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
127,181
About 1 in 2,695 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
95.8% confidence
Average Age
70
years old
Peak Year
1951
10,066 births
Total Registered
210,681
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Gail
Gail is predominantly female (95.8%), though 8,951 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Gail as a male name
Ranked #7,295 in 1989
6 male births in 1989
Peak: 1942 (227 births)
Gail as a female name
Ranked #6,715 in 2024
17 female births in 2024
Peak: 1951 (9,886 births)
Gail: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Gail span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 86,925 babies were registered. Gail has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Gail by Decade
How has Gail tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 127 | 26 | 101 | |
| 1890s | 375 | 88 | 287 | |
| 1900s | 414 | 123 | 291 | |
| 1910s | 2,251 | 1,035 | 1,216 | |
| 1920s | 3,462 | 1,716 | 1,746 | |
| 1930s | 17,721 | 1,867 | 15,854 | |
| 1940s | 55,156 | 2,017 | 53,139 | |
| 1950s | 86,925 | 1,306 | 85,619 | |
| 1960s | 33,345 | 472 | 32,873 | |
| 1970s | 7,374 | 236 | 7,138 | |
| 1980s | 2,236 | 65 | 2,171 | |
| 1990s | 752 | 0 | 752 | |
| 2000s | 284 | 0 | 284 | |
| 2010s | 169 | 0 | 169 | |
| 2020s | 90 | 0 | 90 | |
Gail by State
Birth registrations for Gail span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, California, Pennsylvania. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming. On average, about 3,998 Gails were registered per state.
Gail + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Gail as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Gail
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
Gail: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gail?
We estimate approximately 127,181 people named Gail are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,695 Americans share this first name.
Is Gail a common name?
Gail is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 210,681 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Gail most popular?
Gail reached peak popularity in 1951, when 10,066 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Gail is approximately 70 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Gail a female name?
Gail is predominantly female. 95.8% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Gail Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Gail Smith, Gail Johnson, Gail Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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