Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Mael is a diminutive of Ismael. Ismael comes from Spanish, and ultimately from Hebrew.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In Filipino usage, Mael is a diminutive of Ismael.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2002. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Mael through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,353
- 1,353 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 226 babies
- 2025
- 195
- #1,104 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +257%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 195 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,104 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 256.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (28). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 460 as a first name in 2020; 374 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.
Mael’s family of names
In Filipino usage, Mael is a diminutive of Ismael. Mael has an English adaptation in Malcolm. In Filipino usage, Mael is a shortened form of Ismael.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Mael has relatives in 3 languages.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
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 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Mael
- Máel Sechnaill mac DomnaillHigh King of Ireland, King of Mide948–1022
- Mael CorbozAmerican soccer playerborn 1994
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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