Joel has been given to about 282,250 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1985, which makes it a Gen X and millennial name.
Joel ranks 219th among American boys in 2025, with 1,639 born that year. Its best year was 1985, when 4,661 babies were given the name, ranking 67th. The typical living American called Joel is about 42 years old today. It is relatively most common in New Mexico, where it accounts for 0.13% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.