Girl name origins & meanings
- Hebrew : Like a beautiful melody
- Hebrew : Lion of God
What does Ariel mean and stand for?
The name Ariel is of Hebrew origin and means "lion of God." It is comprised of the Hebrew elements of 'ari, meaning "lion" and 'el, meaning "God." In the Old Testament, Ariel was used as a name for Jerusalem.
Syllables: 3
Girl name variations
Family name origins & meanings
- Jewish : from the Biblical place name Ariel, said to mean ‘lion of God’ in Hebrew. It is mentioned in the prophecies of Ezra (8:16) and Isaiah (29:1–2).
Famous people who gave their babies this name
Popularity
According to Social Security Administration data, Ariel has been all over the map, staying in the top 200 until 2002, entering again briefly in 2007, and once again in 2012, where it has remained since. It reached a peak rank of 133 in 2014.
However, it is the 10th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.
According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Ariel was at its peak popularity in July 2017.
Ariel may invoke the image of the mermaid from The Little Mermaid, but it has a much longer history than that. It's a Biblical name, representing the messenger of Ezra, as well as a symbolic name for the city of Jerusalem. Ariel has also appeared in The Tempest, Footloose, and Sylvia Plath's Ariel. Some notable namesakes include actress Ariel Winter, actress Ariel Gade, supermodel Ariel Meredith, and singer Ariel Engelbert.
Where is it Popular?
Ariel was searched for most often in the following states:
Nicknames for Ariel
- Ari
- Elle
- Ri
- Riel
- RiRi
