Masculine dossier · first seen 1880
Joel
Stable Decline
Gradual decline from 1985
Peak era
1985
Peak births
4,623
Current vitality
Healthy
Peak generation
Millennial
Quick answers about Joel
How many people are named Joel?
An estimated 228,720 living Americans are named Joel.
How rare is Joel?
Joel is moderately uncommon among babies today, with 1,633 boys receiving the name in 2025, down 64.7% from its 1985 peak.
How old is the typical Joel?
The median age of a living American named Joel is approximately 40 years, with most bearers falling between 23 and 55 years old.
Is Joel still popular?
Somewhat. Joel has been declining since its 1985 peak and registered 1,633 births in 2025.
Where is Joel most common?
Joel has its strongest geographic signal in Georgia, where it appears 3.6× more often than the national baseline.
1880Peak 19852025
Peak year
1985
Decline from peak
64.7%
2025
1,633
All-time
279,655
Where it lives now
Joel is most concentrated in North Dakota — about 3.0× the national rate in the 1950s.
States where Joel is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.