Axel
Say it: AK-sel/ˈæk.səl/
BoyMeans a Scandinavian form of Absalom4 letters2 syllables
#252
in Ireland (2025)
#247 with spellings combined
18
babies in 2025
#196
best rank (2023)
202
babies since 2006
Up 129
10-year rank change
Axel through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | #247 |
| 2024 | 18 | #238 |
| 2023 | 25 | #196 |
| 2022 | 19 | #242 |
| 2021 | 21 | #226 |
| 2020 | 23 | #208 |
| 2019 | 9 | #389 |
| 2018 | 12 | #324 |
| 2017 | 10 | #374 |
| 2016 | 7 | #448 |
| 2015 | 10 | #376 |
| 2014 | 4 | #609 |
| 2013 | 6 | #479 |
| 2012 | 4 | #616 |
| 2011 | 4 | #623 |
| 2008 | 5 | #529 |
| 2007 | 3 | #629 |
| 2006 | 4 | #492 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Axel mean?
A Scandinavian form of Absalom
Danish, from Aksel, a form of the biblical Absalom.
Say it right
AKsel
The story of Axel
Axel comes from the Danish Aksel. It is usually traced to Absalon, a 12th-century Danish bishop and statesman, whose name is a form of the biblical Absalom. Some writers think the bishop’s original name was the Norse Áskell and that Absalon was chosen as the nearest Christian match, so the history is not quite settled. The name is used in Scandinavia, Germany, France and the Netherlands, and Aksel is the more common spelling in Denmark and Norway.
Figure skaters know the name through the axel jump, named after the Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen, who first performed it in the 1880s.
Axel first appears in the CSO records in 2006. Its best year was 2023, when 25 boys were named Axel and it reached number 196. In 2025, 18 boys were given the name. It had a similar moment in Northern Ireland, where its best rank was number 132 in 2023.
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Sources
- Wiktionary: Axel (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Axel (name)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Axel | 18 | 202 |
In Northern Ireland
#314 in 2025 with 5 babies. Best rank #132 (2023); 77 babies since 2017.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.