Gamaliel
About Gamaliel
A rare Biblical name, reminiscent of Gabriel, Aziel, and Malachi, Gamaliel appears in the Old Testament as a son of Pedahzur and in the New Testament as a Jewish priest and scholar who taught Saint Paul and who saved the Apostles when the Sanhedrin wanted to persecute them.
Meaning "my reward is God", Gamaliel is also associated with what's known as Gamaliel's Principle or Gamaliel's rule which refers to the belief that if an idea is of human origin, it will come to nothing, but if it is of God, it will endure. Essentially, it encourages believers to leave judgement to God rather than making rash or hostile decisions.
Given to around 30 boys in the US in a recent year, the name may be pronounced as guh-MAY-lee-uhl or ga-MAH-lee-ehl.
As of October 2026, Gamaliel ranked #3208 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1801 in 1979.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,859 | 41 | 21.3 |
| 2015 | #2,935 | 40 | 20.9 |
| 2016 | #2,739 | 44 | 23.2 |
| 2017 | #3,027 | 39 | 21.1 |
| 2018 | #3,011 | 39 | 21.5 |
| 2019 | #2,870 | 43 | 24 |
| 2020 | #4,184 | 24 | 13.9 |
| 2021 | #3,380 | 34 | 19.4 |
| 2022 | #3,293 | 36 | 20.6 |
| 2023 | #2,814 | 45 | 26.3 |
| 2024 | #3,535 | 32 | 18.6 |
| 2025 | #3,208 | 37 | 21.7 |
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Gamaliel.
- Alexandros
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- Mauricio
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Gamaliel on lists
Famous Gamaliels
- Gamaliel
son of Pedahzur, prince of the tribe of Manasseh (Numbers 1:10)
- Gamaliel
Paul's teacher (Acts 22:3)
- Gamaliel Painter
American politician and a key figure in the founding of Middlebury, VT and Middlebury College
- Warren Gamaliel Harding
29th President of the US
Gamaliel in pop culture
- Gamaliel Pickle
father of the title character in Peregrine Pickle (1751) by Tobias Smollett
- Gamaliel Bland Honeywell
character in Ellen Glasgow's novel The Romantic Comedians (1926)