At a glance
- U.S. rank 2025
- #1,906 of boy names (outside the top 1,000)
- Babies in 2025
- 82 (<0.01% of boys)
- Trend
- Rising #2,437 in 2020 to #1,906 in 2025
- Peak
- #1,884 in 2014
- First recorded
- 1959
Meaning of Yechiel
Yechiel (yeh-KEE-el) is a Hebrew classic built on the hopeful phrase “yehi El,” meaning “God lives,” and its story arcs across time like a monsoon cloud—quiet, steady and life-giving. Jewish lore remembers several illustrious bearers, from the medieval Rabbi Yechiel of Paris, who defended his people with scholarly eloquence, to modern teachers who sprinkle wisdom as deftly as a Mumbai dabbawala sorts lunchboxes. In the United States the name has lingered just inside the top 900 for over half a century, a reassuring whisper that rarity need not mean obscurity. Much like a neem tree offering cool shade on a warm Ahmedabad afternoon, Yechiel conveys resilience and gentle protection, making it a thoughtful choice for parents who wish to blend sacred heritage with contemporary rhythm. On a lullaby it sounds lyrical, on a résumé it stays dignified—proof that this ancient name still walks with an easy, confident stride.
How to pronounce Yechiel
Hebrew
- Pronounced YEK-ee-el /jɛk.iˈɛl/
Popularity of Yechiel in the U.S.
Yechiel was the #1,906 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 82 babies. It peaked at #1,884 in 2014. It first appears in the records in 1959.
- Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1959–2025 58 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82 | 1,906 | ▲ 32 |
| 2024 | 81 | 1,938 | ▲ 126 |
| 2023 | 72 | 2,064 | ▲ 53 |
| 2022 | 70 | 2,117 | ▲ 232 |
| 2021 | 58 | 2,349 | ▲ 88 |
| 2020 | 53 | 2,437 | ▼ 375 |
| 2019 | 70 | 2,062 | ▲ 445 |
| 2018 | 51 | 2,507 | ▼ 237 |
| 2017 | 58 | 2,270 | ▼ 86 |
| 2016 | 62 | 2,184 | ▼ 98 |
| 2015 | 67 | 2,086 | ▼ 202 |
| 2014 | 77 | 1,884 | ▲ 281 |
| 2013 | 61 | 2,165 | ▲ 73 |
| 2012 | 58 | 2,238 | ▼ 6 |
| 2011 | 58 | 2,232 | ▲ 30 |
| 2010 | 57 | 2,262 | ▲ 401 |
| 2009 | 46 | 2,663 | ▼ 231 |
| 2008 | 52 | 2,432 | ▼ 197 |
| 2007 | 59 | 2,235 | ▲ 214 |
| 2006 | 50 | 2,449 | ▲ 453 |
| 2005 | 36 | 2,902 | ▼ 371 |
| 2004 | 43 | 2,531 | ▲ 48 |
| 2003 | 39 | 2,579 | ▼ 151 |
| 2002 | 41 | 2,428 | ▲ 369 |
| 2001 | 33 | 2,797 | ▼ 123 |
| 2000 | 34 | 2,674 | ▲ 429 |
| 1999 | 26 | 3,103 | ▼ 321 |
| 1998 | 29 | 2,782 | ▲ 673 |
| 1997 | 20 | 3,455 | ▼ 972 |
| 1996 | 31 | 2,483 | ▲ 440 |
| 1995 | 24 | 2,923 | ▲ 403 |
| 1994 | 20 | 3,326 | ▼ 685 |
| 1993 | 27 | 2,641 | ▲ 1,473 |
| 1992 | 14 | 4,114 | ▼ 789 |
| 1991 | 18 | 3,325 | ▼ 630 |
| 1990 | 24 | 2,695 | ▲ 207 |
| 1989 | 21 | 2,902 | ▲ 803 |
| 1988 | 13 | 3,705 | ▼ 366 |
| 1987 | 14 | 3,339 | ▼ 829 |
| 1986 | 21 | 2,510 | ▲ 200 |
| 1985 | 18 | 2,710 | ▼ 97 |
| 1984 | 18 | 2,613 | ▲ 798 |
| 1983 | 12 | 3,411 | ▼ 439 |
| 1982 | 15 | 2,972 | ▲ 58 |
| 1981 | 14 | 3,030 | ▼ 65 |
| 1980 | 15 | 2,965 | ▲ 1,103 |
| 1979 | 9 | 4,068 | ▼ 1,399 |
| 1978 | 16 | 2,669 | ▲ 1,913 |
| 1977 | 7 | 4,582 | ▼ 570 |
| 1976 | 8 | 4,012 | ▼ 1,110 |
| 1975 | 13 | 2,902 | ▲ 656 |
| 1974 | 9 | 3,558 | ▼ 545 |
| 1973 | 11 | 3,013 | ▼ 22 |
| 1972 | 11 | 2,991 | ▲ 972 |
| 1971 | 7 | 3,963 | back (not recorded in 1969–1970) |
| 1968 | 8 | 3,107 | ▲ 859 |
| 1967 | 5 | 3,966 | back (not recorded in 1960–1966) |
| 1959 | 5 | 3,988 | new |
Notable people named Yechiel
- Yechiel Michel Epstein — Yechiel Michel ha-Levi Epstein was a Lithuanian rabbi and Jewish legal scholar best known for writing Aruch HaShulchan.
- Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg was an Orthodox rabbi and scholar best known for his collection of Jewish legal writings, Seridei Eish.
- Yechiel Eckstein was an Israeli American rabbi who founded the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews to support Jewish people in need.
- Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tucazinsky was a Jerusalem scholar best known for his writings on Jewish mourning laws and his work on the Israeli religious calendar.
- Yechiel Michel Feinstein was a Haredi rabbi and yeshiva leader in Israel and the United States.