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Yechiel

YEK-ee-el /jɛk.iˈɛl/ Hebrew

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

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.

Bar and line chart: Yechiel in the U.S., 1959–2025. Bars: boys given the name each year, most 82 in 2025. Line: rank among boy names, peak #1,884 in 2014, #1,906 in 2025.
  • Boys named Yechiel (left scale)
  • Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
By year, 1959–2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Year-by-year table, 1959⁠–⁠2025 58 rows
Yechiel: babies and rank among boy names in the U.S. by year
YearBabiesRankvs previous year
2025821,906▲ 32
2024811,938▲ 126
2023722,064▲ 53
2022702,117▲ 232
2021582,349▲ 88
2020532,437▼ 375
2019702,062▲ 445
2018512,507▼ 237
2017582,270▼ 86
2016622,184▼ 98
2015672,086▼ 202
2014771,884▲ 281
2013612,165▲ 73
2012582,238▼ 6
2011582,232▲ 30
2010572,262▲ 401
2009462,663▼ 231
2008522,432▼ 197
2007592,235▲ 214
2006502,449▲ 453
2005362,902▼ 371
2004432,531▲ 48
2003392,579▼ 151
2002412,428▲ 369
2001332,797▼ 123
2000342,674▲ 429
1999263,103▼ 321
1998292,782▲ 673
1997203,455▼ 972
1996312,483▲ 440
1995242,923▲ 403
1994203,326▼ 685
1993272,641▲ 1,473
1992144,114▼ 789
1991183,325▼ 630
1990242,695▲ 207
1989212,902▲ 803
1988133,705▼ 366
1987143,339▼ 829
1986212,510▲ 200
1985182,710▼ 97
1984182,613▲ 798
1983123,411▼ 439
1982152,972▲ 58
1981143,030▼ 65
1980152,965▲ 1,103
197994,068▼ 1,399
1978162,669▲ 1,913
197774,582▼ 570
197684,012▼ 1,110
1975132,902▲ 656
197493,558▼ 545
1973113,013▼ 22
1972112,991▲ 972
197173,963back (not recorded in 1969–1970)
196883,107▲ 859
196753,966back (not recorded in 1960–1966)
195953,988new

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.