Is Jamal a boy or a girl name?

Jamal is overwhelmingly a boy name in the United States. Of the 32,891 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are boys.

How popular is the name Jamal in 2023?

Jamal ranks #1036 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1993 with 1,245 babies.

How do you pronounce Jamal?

Jamal is pronounced ja-MAAL (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Jamal?

Jamal is also written as Jamaal, Gamal, Djamel.

A name from Arabic · Boy

Jamal

جَمَال

"Beauty, elegance, grace." A central aesthetic concept in Arabic culture, subject of a vast mystical and poetic literature.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 77-year arc in numbers.

32,891 U.S. births recorded from 1946–2023.

Popularity · 1946–2023

211 births in 2023

1946 1984 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

J"Beauty, elegance, grace." A central aesthetic concept in Arabic culture, subject of a vast mystical and poetic literature.

Etymology, in one line

Arabic root: j-m-l — ج-م-ل, beauty

Regional variants

Deeply established in African-American naming traditions since the 1970s — independent of explicit Muslim identification. One of the most integrated Arabic names in the US.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Jamal".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Jamaal Most common Gamal Djamel

Related guides

People who carry the name Jamal.

J
Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egyptian president)
J
Jamal Crawford (NBA player)

Quick answers

People often ask about Jamal.

What does the name Jamal mean?: Jamal means "Beauty, elegance, grace." A central aesthetic concept in Arabic culture, subject of a vast mystical and poetic literature.
Where does the name Jamal come from?: Jamal is a boy name of Arabic origin. Deeply established in African-American naming traditions since the 1970s — independent of explicit Muslim identification.
Is Jamal a boy or a girl name?: Jamal is overwhelmingly a boy name in the United States. Of the 32,891 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are boys.
How popular is the name Jamal in 2023?: Jamal ranks #1036 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1993 with 1,245 babies.
How do you pronounce Jamal?: Jamal is pronounced ja-MAAL (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Jamal?: Jamal is also written as Jamaal, Gamal, Djamel.

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About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meaning and cultural context drawn from classical sources: Lisan al-Arab, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Qur'an and Sunnah. If you spot an error, please let us know.

Jamal

A 77-year arc in numbers.

A name that means something.

3 ways to spell "Jamal".

Read more in the Almanac.

Arabic Names That Work in English Without Explanation

People who carry the name Jamal.

People often ask about Jamal.

If you love Jamal, also consider…

About this page