Nael

NA-EHL; NA-IL

Diminutive of Nathanael or Gwenael, French, Arabic

"gift of God; generous; attainer, winner"

Nael Origin and Meaning

The name Nael is a boy's name meaning "gift of God; generous; attainer, winner".

Nael - or Naël as it is often spelled - originated as a French diminutive of names ending in -nael, though in recent years, it has risen up the charts as a standalone choice. A Top 20 name in France, it is also popular in Belgium and Switzerland, where it fits in beside Léo, Sacha, Lou, Noé, and Ben.

Traditionally deriving from Nathanael, meaning "gift of God", or Gwenael, meaning "blessed and generous", Nael could also be a variation of the Arabic and Turkish name Nail. Meaning "winner", "brave" or "attainer", Nail (as Naïl) is also familiar in France, and can be alternatively spelled as Nayel, Naail, and Nael.

Rarely used in the US before the 2010s, Nael is now 6 times more popular than it was a decade ago. Given to 187 boys in a recent year, it could follow in the footsteps of Mael, which entered the Top 1000 in 2023.

Nael Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 114 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Nael

• 114 Nameberry 2025
• 126 Unique 2023
• 360 Germany 2016
• 38 Switzerland 2023

20 Names Similar to Nael

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Nael.

• Kavan
• Tavian
• Navin
• Miran
• Niven
• Thorian
• Edan
• Sion
• Arye
• Ruslan
• Bain
• Meir
• Destry
• Quillon
• Esai
• Madoc
• Haldan
• Danilo
• Tadeo
• Rodion

The name Nael in Pop Culture

• Nael Van Darnus character in video game Final Fantasy XIV