At a glance
- In short
- Excel, a unisex name drawn from the Latin verb “excellere” (to rise above or surpass), conveys ambition and distinction.
- U.S. rank 2025 (boys)
- #12,008 (outside the top 1,000)
- Babies in 2025 (boys)
- 5 (<0.01% of boys)
- As a girl name
- Last recorded 2020 (#13,453)Peak #13,006 in 2015
- Peak (boys)
- #4,307 in 1922
- First recorded
- 1922 (as a boy name; 2014 as a girl name)
Meaning of Excel
Excel, a unisex name drawn from the Latin verb “excellere” (to rise above or surpass), conveys ambition and distinction. Pronounced EK-sel (/ˈɛk.səl/), it has appeared sporadically in U.S. birth records since 2014, ranking between 947th and 963rd and registering five to seven newborns annually, with six entries in 2020 (950th). The name’s succinct phonetics and its modern resonance—spanning classical heritage to the familiar spreadsheet software—lend it an air of precision and analytical strength.
How to pronounce Excel
English
- Pronounced EK-sel /ˈɛk.səl/
Popularity of Excel in the U.S.
Excel was the #12,008 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 5 babies. It peaked at #4,307 in 1922. It first appears in the records in 1922. As a girl name it was last recorded in 2020, at #13,453.
- Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
