Hazel
About Hazel
The charming vintage nature and color name Hazel has become popular for girls, but more than 30 baby boys were named Hazel in the US in a recent year. In fact, it's not a new thing for boys to be called Hazel. It ranked in the US Top 1000 from the late 1800s to the 1930s, peaking in 1891 when it briefly entered the Top 500, and again in 1920 when it was given to nearly 80 boys.
Borne by the hero buck rabbit of Richard Adams' Watership Down series and a character in John Steinbeck's Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, it could be shortened to the cool Hayes or Haze.
Pronounced HAY-zul.
As of October 2026, Hazel ranked #4306 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #438 in 1904.
Editor: Sophie Kihm
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | #4,917 | 19 | 11 |
| 2021 | #3,603 | 31 | 17.7 |
| 2022 | #3,924 | 28 | 16 |
| 2023 | #4,383 | 24 | 14 |
| 2024 | #2,837 | 45 | 26.1 |
| 2025 | #4,306 | 24 | 14.1 |
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Hazel on lists
Hazel in pop culture
- Hazel “Haze” Motes
Main character of Flannery O’Connor’s “Wise Blood”