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Gail

Girl name · 1,554 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Gail: 1,554 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 180 births in 1975.

The name Gail is most often a short form of Abigail, which itself comes from the Hebrew Avigayil, meaning "my father is joy" or "father of exultation." As an independent given name, Gail gained real popularity in the English-speaking world during the mid-20th century. One of its most famous bearers is the American actress Gail Russell, known for her roles in classic Westerns, while in Scotland the name is associated with the pioneering physicist and engineer Dame Gail McGrew. There are no major places directly named after a person called Gail, though the name shares its joyful root with the biblical Abigail. A further note: in some contexts, Gail is also considered a variant of the Irish name Gáile, though this is much rarer. The name's crisp, single-syllable sound made it a fashionable choice in the 1950s and 1960s.