How to say it
AX · el
/ˈæk.səl/
Masculine
Axel
Father of peace
What it means
Scandinavian form of Absalom, from Hebrew Avshalom ('father of peace'). The biblical Absalom was King David's beautiful and rebellious son.
Axel is the Scandinavian form of Absalom, the Hebrew Avshalom ('father of peace'). The biblical Absalom is David's third son in 2 Samuel, famous for his beauty, his rebellion against his father, and his death by his own long hair caught in an oak tree. Axel has been a steady name in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway for centuries; it crossed into English-language use through 19th-century Scandinavian immigration to the US. Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses, born William Bruce Rose) used the alternate spelling. The English Axel has been in the US top 100 since 2014. No common short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #71 in 2023, currently #79 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Spelling
Axel is the standard spelling; Axl (without the E) is the rock-and-roll variant, anchored by Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose.
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.
- Axl Rose Guns N' Roses lead singer, born William Bruce Rose Jr.
- Axel Foley Eddie Murphy's character in the Beverly Hills Cop films
Spelling variants
- Axl
- Absalom
Names with the same feeling
See Axel from another angle
By meaning
By style