Axel

Boy Germanic languages #8539 in 2023

Axel is a boy name of Germanic languages origin.

Meaning of Axel

In quiet use since the 19th century. From Aksel, first used for the bishop and statesman Absalon Hvide (1128–1201), from biblical Absalom. Some sources suggest that the bishop was originally named Áskell, from - "god" + "cauldron, helmet", and Absalon was chosen as the nearest-sounding Christian equivalent, leading to the exchange of the middle consonants.

Popularity of Axel

Popularity, 1880–2023

4,532 births in 2023

1880 2023

64,043 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023. Used for both boys and girls — see notes below.

Peak year

2020

4,674 babies

First recorded

1880

Earliest SSA data

Recent trend

Rising

Last 5 yrs vs. prior 5

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Etymology adapted from Wiktionary under CC BY-SA 4.0. If you spot an error, please let us know.