Given name & surname
Jamel
“a handsome man”
Jamel is a variant of Jamal. One Arabic interpretation is “a handsome man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Jamel is a variant of Jamal. One Arabic interpretation is “a handsome man.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Jamel is a variant of Jamal. An origin associated with Jamal is Arabic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1950. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Jamel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11,592
- 11,225 boys · 367 girls
- Most popular year
- 1988
- 373 babies
- 2025
- 46
- #2,779 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −36%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 46 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,779 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 35.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 360 in 1988. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,587 as a first name in 2020; 177 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.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Jamel
- Jamel DebbouzeMoroccan Amazigh -French comedian and actorborn 1975
- Jamel SaihiTunisian and French association football playerborn 1987
- Jamel Aït Ben IdirMoroccan and French footballerborn 1984
- Jamel McLeanAmerican basketball player (born 1988)
- Jamel ArtisAmerican basketball player (born 1993)
- Jamel HerringAmerican boxerborn 1985
- Jamel ZabiTunisian association football playerborn 1975
- Jamel MorrisAmerican basketball player (born 1992)
- Jamel ChatbiMoroccan distance runnerborn 1984
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Jamel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jaleel
“a majestic man”
>99% boys
Jamil
“a handsome man”
>99% boys
Jamar
“a handsome man”
>99% boys
Darell
>99% boys
Jacques
“he who supplants” · “heel grabber”
>99% boys
Marcell
“the little warrior”
>99% boys
Darnell
“a secretive woman” · “from the hidden place”
>99% boys
Mikel
“who is like God?”
99% boys · 1% girls