Mael

The name of a fifth century Breton saint, Mael is a popular boys' name in contemporary France, though it is usually spelled with a diaeresis or umlaut - Maël. Mael is the Breton spelling, and the pronunciation is almost like the English word mile, with two distinctive syllables.

Popular in Belgium, Quebec, and Switzerland too, Mael ranked in the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2023. Given to more than 200 boys, it has international flair, a gentle appearance and a pleasing sound that is reminiscent of popular Miles and familiar Noel.

Used in Anne Rice's series The Vampire Chronicles and the video game series Ace Attorney, Mael also an ancient Welsh boys' name, and an old Irish word meaning "bald" or "monk", which was used to form names such as Malcolm.

Among Spanish speakers, it is used as a diminutive of Ismael, another fast riser in 2023, and perhaps another reason for its increased popularity

Pronounced MAHL.

As of October 2026, Mael ranked #1104 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #976 in 2023, Nameberry popularity #392.