How to say it
AR · i · el
ˈɛər.i.əl
Unisex
Ariel
Lion of God
What it means
Hebrew, 'lion of God,' used in the Bible as a poetic name for the city of Jerusalem.
Ariel is Hebrew for 'lion of God,' and scripture uses it as a symbolic name for Jerusalem. It is a traditional male name in Hebrew and in modern Israel, and Shakespeare gave it to the airy spirit of The Tempest. In the US, Disney's 1989 The Little Mermaid swung it firmly toward girls. So it reads genuinely unisex, with the lean depending on where you are. Ari is the natural short.
How to spell Ariel
The standard spelling is Ariel. Common variants include Arielle, Ariella, Aryel, but Ariel is the most widely used form.
Popularity over time
Feminine: peaked at #66 in 1991, currently #356 in 2025.
Masculine: peaked at #360 in 1991, currently #558 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–2025. Reviewed July 2026. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Worth knowing
Male in Hebrew and Israeli use, female in the US since The Little Mermaid; genuinely unisex.
- Nickname
Ari works for any gender.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Ariel the airy spirit bound to Prospero in Shakespeare's The Tempest
- Ariel the mermaid heroine of Disney's The Little Mermaid
Spelling variants
- Arielle
- Ariella
- Aryel
Names with the same feeling
See Ariel from another angle
By meaning
By style
Common questions
- What does the name Ariel mean?
- Hebrew, 'lion of God,' used in the Bible as a poetic name for the city of Jerusalem.
- What does Ariel mean in Hebrew?
- In Hebrew, Ariel means "Lion of God." Ariel is Hebrew for 'lion of God,' and scripture uses it as a symbolic name for Jerusalem. It is a traditional male name in Hebrew and in modern Israel, and Shakespeare gave it to the airy spirit of The Tempest. In the US, Disney's 1989 The Little Mermaid swung it firmly toward girls. So it reads genuinely unisex, with the lean depending on where you are. Ari is the natural short.
- How do you pronounce Ariel?
- Ariel is pronounced ˈɛər.i.əl. Say it as AR-i-el, with the stress on the "ar" syllable.
- How do you spell Ariel?
- The standard spelling is Ariel. Common spelling variants include Arielle, Ariella, Aryel.
- Is Ariel a boy or girl name?
- Ariel is used for both boys and girls.
- How popular is the name Ariel?
- Ariel ranked #356 in the U.S. in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.