Al
About Al
Al is a masculine name that primarily functions as a shortened form of names beginning with 'Al,' such as Albert (meaning 'noble and bright'), Alfred ('wise counselor'), Alexander ('defender of the people'), or Alvin ('noble friend'). With its single syllable and straightforward pronunciation, Al projects a friendly, approachable quality that has made it enduringly popular as a nickname throughout the 20th century. The name peaked in popularity during the mid-1900s and carries associations with a generation of reliable, hardworking men. Al's simplicity gives it a timeless quality, though in recent decades it has become less common as a standalone given name, with parents more likely to use it as a familiar nickname for longer Al- names.
Pronounced AL.
As of October 2026, Al ranked #6822 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #285 in 1910.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | #4,894 | 19 | 9.9 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | #4,748 | 20 | 10.8 |
| 2018 | #3,994 | 26 | 14.3 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | #4,857 | 19 | 11 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | — | 0 | 0 |
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Al.
- Humphry
- Tommie
- Scotty
- Tracy
- Hogan
- Duff
- Oto
- Richmond
- Jo
- Bob
- Greg
- Garfield
- Sanderson
- Vicki
- Denny
- Harrington
- Colbert
- Massey
- Sanford
- Grande
Al on lists
Famous Als
- Albert Arnold "Al" Gore Jr.
45th Vice President of the U.S.
- Albert Arnold "Al" Gore Sr.
U.S. Senator from Tennessee
- Alfredo James "Al" Pacino
American actor
- Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson)
American singer/actor
- Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone
American gangster
- Albert "Al" Green
American R&B musician
- Albert Lincoln "Al" Roker
American television broadcaster
- Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic
American parody singer
- Alan Stuart "Al" Franken
US Senator from Minnesota and former comedian
- Alfred "Al" Unser Sr.
American racing driver
- Alfred "Al" Unser Jr.
American racing driver
- Alfred Emanuel "Al" Smith
42nd Governor of New York
- Alwin Lopez "Al" Jarreau
American pop singer
- Albert Leonard "Al" Rosen
American baseball player
- Alfred Ernest "Al" Jean III
American screenwriter
- Alastair Ian "Al" Stewart
Scottish singer,songwriter
- James Allen Ross "Al" Hendrix
father of American musician Jimi Hendrix
- Allen "Al" Davis
American NFL team owner
- Alvah Robert "Al" Holbert
American racing driver
- Albert Clyde "Al" Hinkle
childhood friend of Neal Cassady and member of Beat Generation circle
Al in pop culture
- Al Bundy
main character on TV's "Married...with Children"
- Albert "Al" Borland
a main character on TV's "Home Improvement"
- Al Leopardi
character in "Why We Broke Up" by Daniel Handler
- Al McWhiggin
character in Pixar's "Toy Story" movies
- Al Holden
character on soap "One Life to Live"
- Al Rothstein aka Atom Smasher
character in DC Universe
- Al
also known as Alien, character in "Spring Breakers"
- Al
Cid Margrace, character in video game "Final Fantasy XII"
- Albert "Al" Robbins
character on TV's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
- Alcazar "Al
" character on TV's "Futurama"
- Al J. Swindler aka Al G. Swindler
con,artist character on cartoon show "Garfield and Friends"