first name
GALE
of 53,615 first names recorded in the 2020 Census
Of the 22,462 people named Gale, 81.9% reported their origin as White, 11.8% as Black and 2.2% as two or more races. 74.4% are female. These count how people described themselves on the 2020 Census, not where the name comes from.
What should your name go on next?
Thanks! We'll make the most-wanted one next.
Gale peaked in 1957, when 1,364 babies got the name.
At least 32,343 babies have been given the name since 1883. Years SSA withheld, because fewer than 5 were born, are skipped rather than drawn as zero. * 2025 is the newest year published and it undercounts: a card application is filed some time after a birth.
Gale by decade
Among all names given to American babies, its best decade was the 1950s, when it ranked #444. The largest share of babies named Gale, 56.2%, were born during the baby boom (1946–1964).
Rank counts both sexes together, among every name SSA recorded that decade; the number under it is births. The 2020s run only to 2025. Generation years follow Pew Research Center, which has not named a generation after 2012.
Where Gale is most common
Compared with all babies born in each state since 1910, Gale has been most common in Nebraska (2.8×), Kansas (2.1×), and South Dakota (2×), and least common in Alabama (0.24×).
26,197 births recorded by state, 1910–2025. 2× means twice as common as nationally. States with fewer than 30 such births are left blank, and SSA withholds any year with fewer than 5 in a state, so small states read low.
Either side of Gale
Spelled almost the same
7 first names in the 2020 Census spelled within a letter or two of Gale, most common first.
Also a last name
As a last name, Gale ranks #2,378 of 156,621, with 14,988 people. See Gale as a last name
Compare
🔎 GALE 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜⬜ 1 in 13,446 Americans Rarer than 75.1% of us Peaked in 1957 with 1,364 babies Beat that 👇 https://howrareismy.name/first/gale/