Gael is of Scottish origin, derived from the ancient Scottish tribe known as the Gaels. It means "stranger" or "foster child." Historically, it was used as a surname, but in modern times, Gael has become increasingly popular as a given name for boys and girls.
The name Gael appears to have experienced several periods of popularity throughout the century and a half for which we have data, with peaks in the late 40s, mid 50s, early 70s, late 90s/early 2000s, and again more recently from 2012 onwards. Despite these fluctuations, Gael remains a uncommon name overall, with only 658 births recorded in total over this time period.