Given name & surname
Gal
“from the rolling wave”
Gal is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “from the rolling wave.”
Original Hebrewגל
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “from the rolling wave.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1947. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Gal is a diminutive of Garfield. The history of Garfield gives this family its wider story. Garfield’s naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Gal through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 403
- 148 boys · 255 girls
- Most popular year
- 1996
- 21 babies
- 2025
- 15
- #9,673 for girls · #12,648 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +52%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 9,673 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. It also appeared in 5 birth records for boys in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,910 as a first name in 2020; 1,636 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Gal’s family of names
In English usage, Gal is a diminutive of Garfield. In Slovenian usage, Gal has a feminine form in Gala. Gal has a related form in Gail.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Gal
- Gal GadotIsraeli actress, and model; Miss Israel 2004 (born 1985)
- Gal FridmanIsraeli windsurferborn 1975
- Gal AlbermanIsraeli footballerborn 1983
- Gal MekelIsraeli basketball player (born 1988)
- Gal ShishIsraeli footballerborn 1989
- Gal GlivarSlovenian cyclistborn 2002
- Gal KorenSlovenian ice hockey playerborn 1992
- Gal Cohen GroumiIsraeli swimmerborn 2002
- Gal UchovskyIsraeli screenwriter, journalist and film producerborn 1958
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Gal, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sagal
Sagal is a surname from Hebrew.
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Sigal
“an aromatic plant not definitively identified”
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Gabrielle
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1% boys · 99% girls
Merve
“a friend of the sea”
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Anah
“answer” · “task”
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Sinead
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Aridai
“freely” · “my freedom”
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Abihail
“the father is might” · “father of strength”
>99% girls